Elementalist: Live for the Moment
by LoZmercenary002
Summary: Skyler was just a normal kid with a normal family, but he's been dragged into a magical realm through a mirror and now his world's upside down. What happens next? Click to find out. MC x Beckett, Atlas x Shreya WARNING: story content is for mature audiences only. Very gay. Very... very gay... Also there's blood and killing, so... MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Accidental Enrolment

The place was dark. I didn't recognise it. There were so many trees, but they were black and scary. I could feel the wind attacking my face as I ran. I ran so fast. I was terrified. What was that thing behind me? I looked over my shoulder and saw a huge dark figure with horns and sharp teeth. It's mouth and eyes glowed a burning red, like magma had made a home in its core. It chased me on all fours as if it was a panther trying to catch its dinner. I ran. It let out a blood-curdling roar that pierced my ears and shook the ground beneath me. I fell into the mud. I couldn't feel my legs. I reached my hand out and grasped at the mud, trying to pull myself away, but my body was so heavy. I made it to a pool of black water that reflected my face back at me like a mirror… Wait… it wasn't me… Whoever it was… he looked like me, but he wasn't me. His face was muddy, scratched, and filled with terror.

"Come on! Get up! Keep moving!" I yelled, continuing to drag myself through the mud. I looked up and saw a long mirror. I needed to get to it. Just a touch… "Just… a little… farther!" I screamed at myself as I desperately tried to reach it. A thunderous bang echoed through the darkness. I spun around. _Shit, shit, shit!_ It had caught up to me. I was out of time. I rolled onto my back and through my hands up in a last-ditch-effort to save myself. "_Yueguang Trabem_!" I screeched at the top of my lungs as a searing power left my fingertips.

I sat up so quickly that I became light-headed. My breathing was heavy, and my hand was on my chest, my shirt bunched up in my fist. I was drenched in sweat, but I was in my room. I was safe. I looked around to reassure myself. "That… That felt so real…," I whispered to myself. Suddenly, a sound caught my attention. It was my alarm. I silenced my phone and looked at the time. "Crap! I'm late!" I jumped out of bed and into my closet, grabbing at the first set of clothes I could find. It was almost 10 o'clock and I needed to be gone by 9. I darted for the door, glimpsing myself in the hallway mirror just long enough to know that I looked exhausted. My wavy white hair was a mess.

I got to my advisor's office with seconds to spare and fell into the chair across from her desk with a huff. "I am so sorry, ma'am. I overslept."

She looked a bit put-off by my appearance or behaviour, but her words were still kind. "You're not late, so that's quite alright, Mr. Dietz."

"Just Skyler is fine, Ms. Robertson," I sat up and tried to look more presentable, but I'd been slacking off so much lately in every aspect of my life, that I didn't really have the motivation to pull it off.

"Skyler, right," she shook her head, seemingly disappointed with herself for not remembering that from the last time we met. "Forgive me. I'm used to working with… more troubled students." She sifted through some papers on her desk and pulled out a file with my name on it. After flipping through a few pages, she frowned. "By all accounts, you're a perfect student, Skyler. It's only a couple of weeks into the quarter, but your grades and attendance are excellent, so I've got to ask… Why are you here?" she raised an eyebrow at me.

"It's hard to describe, ma'am," I explained. "I know I should be happy, but I'm just… not… I try _so_ hard, but no matter what I do, it all just feels like… like I'm sitting in a waiting room or something and no-one ever calls my name."

She folded her hands together and leaned forward on her elbows. "And what is it exactly that you're waiting for?"

I sighed and leaned back in the chair. "I don't know… I guess I'm looking for a life of adventure," I scoffed at my own air-headed comment.

"What?" was all she said, seeming to restrain a chuckle.

I smiled, almost laughing at myself as I clarified. "A life exploring new places, collecting ancient artefacts, discovering mysterious powers… That's not too much to ask, is it?"

She furrowed her eyebrows and I noticed her lip twitch as she tried to remain serious. "Those are certainly some… _original_ aspirations, but I can't help you live in a fantasy world, Skyler."

I rolled my eyes a bit, my smile fading. "Yeah, I know. It's just a joke anyway. I just wish I actually _knew_ what I was looking for. Whatever it is, it's not this," I gestured to the walls around us. College was so _boring_ to me. Classes were easy, I was rarely challenged, and I just wanted something new to suddenly spring into my life and lift my spirits from this aggravating slump I'd been in for the last _most of my life_. I always felt like something was missing.

"I know you're at a crossroads right now, and one of the directions you could go would mean dropping out of college," she frowned.

I matched her expression. "The thought had crossed my mind…"

"Please, don't do it," she implored me. "When this phase you're in ends, you don't want to discover that you've given up your chance to get a higher education, do you?"

I let my head fall slightly to the side as I pondered what to do. "But… what if you're wrong and it's not a phase?" I asked, wondering if phases usually lasted this long…

She leaned back in her chair and let her hands fall to her lap. "How about this? Why don't you go home and think about it before you make your decision? Will you do that for me?"

I sighed and nodded. "Sure. I guess I can do that."

The conversation wrapped up quickly after that and I made my way back to my apartment. I felt so defeated. The meeting with Ms. Robertson was supposed to _help_ me, not _hinder_ me. I dropped my bag by the couch and went into the bathroom. Leaning against the counter, I glared at myself in the mirror. My face looked dead. If it wasn't for the trace amount of pink in my pale cheeks and the annoyed furrow of my eyebrows, I'd have thought I _was_ dead.

"I know you belong _somewhere_. I _know_ there's more to you than this," I tried to give myself a pep-talk. I stared deeply into my own depressed eyes. Then I noticed the lights flicker. "What the hell?" I looked up at the fixture above the vanity as the bulbs flashed on and off. I moved to turn the switch off, but then I noticed something _incredibly_ odd out of the corner of my eye. My reflection didn't move with me. "Huh?" I looked closer at the mirror, but it still didn't follow me. I was looking at… well… _me_… but it wasn't me… _The guy from my dream?_ He had white hair, like me, but it was straight, not wavy, and his eyes looked angry and stiff, not depressed and confused. "What the hell?" I reached out to touch the mirror, curious to see if this was some sort of prank… not that I had any friends to prank me… My hand stopped short of the mirror, almost as if I was scared to find out why this was happening. Was I asleep? Well, if I was, what was the harm in investigating? With a slight shake in my hand, I touched the glass… but my fingertips went through the mirror… "Woah!" I tried to pull my hand back, but I was stuck… and getting sucked in… "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" I shouted as my face came only inches from the mirror.

Everything went black. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't see, and I couldn't hear. I was terrified. _Please be a dream. Please be a dream!_ Suddenly, I could see light, but it was dim, like I was underwater… wait… I _was_ underwater. I could feel the current against my skin and the water stung my eyes as I squinted into the distance. I tried to hold my breath, but I didn't have anything left. I tried to swim for the surface, but my body couldn't move. I was scared. I remember an arm wrapping around me, but I was about to black out, so that's about all I remember until I was on land looking up at the sky.

"Where… Where am I?" I tried to sit up, but I felt so weak. I turned my head to see my surroundings. I was on luscious green grass and there was a stone bench next to a pond, which I assumed I'd just been pulled out of. There were buildings… like a small old German town… little stone cottages with ivy growing up the corners and apex rooves. There was a giant statue of a woman in the centre square… _Wait!_ I finally had the energy to spring up. _Where the hell am I? And how did I get here?!_ I looked around again, this time noticing that the statue's head was _moving_, and _people_ were _flying_ around in the _sky_ on _furniture_! I put my hands over my eyes. "Oh no… I must have hit my head or something…"

"Hey, hey! You're okay. I got you," I deep, yet soothing voice came from below me. A dark-skinned guy in a soaking wet hoodie stood to meet my eyes. "You're a new student here, right?" he smiled warmly. _Oh, hello._ If only I could be saved by an attractive dude in a wet shirt _every_ day…

I dropped my hands from my face and did another 360 of my surroundings. "I'm… _a_ student…"

"Great! You missed the Hall of Mirrors by a mile, but you made it. Welcome to Penderghast College of Elemental Magics," he grinned widely, but my eyes might have been wider. _Hall of… Elemental Magic?!_ "Since it's your first day of the new semester, we should probably get you to the dining hall for orientation. If you're feeling okay, that is."

I could feel my eye twitch in confusion, but I didn't want to give myself away. I looked around one more time, wondering if this was actually real or if I'd been hit by a bus on the way home…

I saw some snooty looking guy eyeing me disdainfully as he walked by. "I suppose I should have listened to my father when he said the admissions standards are in decline here," he tilted his nose up. His pointed features added to his pressed shirt and tight blazer to make him look like a total dickweasle. "Didn't you read the information packet? There are arrival protocols, you know." This may not have been the real world, but I was honestly offended by his tone.

"Who are you? Campus police?" the darker guy retorted in my defence. "Why don't you make yourself useful and take him up to orientation?"

He scoffed. "I think not. I am Beckett _Harrington_. I don't have time to show the other first years around campus," his lip curled into a sneer as he looked me up and down. Without saying another word, he turned on his heel and stalked up the hill towards a large stone building. _Ugh, standard Oxford douchebag…_

"I guess it's just you and me then. I'm Griffin," he held out his hand to me with a big smile.

I took his hand, my own a bit shaky from shock, the cold water, and the fact that I hadn't eaten all day. "I'm really confused… and also Skyler."

He chuckled a bit then said, "Here, Skyler, let me help you." He balled his fists and brought them up to his mouth, making a tunnel as he blew through his hands. Before I could ask what the hell he was doing and how that would help at all, the air around me suddenly changed and I could feel a strong draft airing out my clothing.

"Woah! I'm completely dry!" I looked down in awe, patting my shirt.

"There you go, good as new," he said, shoving his hands into his hoodie pocket. "You might still want to change at some point, though. It tends to get chilly in the evenings." He pulled his hands back up and dried himself, shaking the last of the water off of his shoes. "Sorry if the work was a little shoddy. Air magic isn't the most natural to us Earth-Atts, but Professor Englund says I'm getting it," the corner of his lip twitched up in a friendly smile. "Come on, I'll take you up to the school for orientation," he gestured toward the top of the hill with his head and turned to lead the way. Not knowing what else to do, I stumbled after him.

"Okay, wait… so… you're saying magic is _real_? Like… really real? For real?" I stammered, trying not to trip over myself while watching the people flying overhead.

He laughed. "Either that or we're all trapped in the same fever dream." We walked passed the large statue in the centre square and its head followed me. My eyes went wide and I ducked, as if my actions would suddenly make it stop. "Oh, don't worry about that. That's just the security system, set to vaporise any Attuneless intruders, but there hasn't been one on campus in… well, I don't even know."

_Oh my god, I would really love not being vaporised right about now…_ I kept eye contact with the statue, terrified that it would know I didn't belong there, but it soon looked away. I let out a sigh of relief, but the curiosity of why it _didn't_ vaporise me burned at the back of my mind. When I looked ahead again, I noticed that we'd reached a set of _massive_ double doors at the front of the large stone building.

The doors opened by themselves and Griffin led me into a giant entrance hall. It was a mansion. In the middle of the room, there was a huge wooden staircase with intricate carvings along the railings. The ceiling was three stories high, showing the second and third floor balconies wrapping around the rest of the room. On each side of the doors stood a knight's armour set. The helmets seemed to turn to look at me when I stared at them. The floor was mostly hardwood, but there was a large blue patterned rug that took up the centre of the room. Candlelit sconces bordered each doorway and picture frame around the room. Overall, it was incredibly grand.

"Welcome to Penderghast! If you follow me this way, I'll show you…," he paused when a loud chime rang through the building. He looked down at his watch. "Oh, crap! I totally forgot about this Thief team meeting I'm supposed to go to!"

I took a step towards him, horrified to be on my own. "Please don't leave me," I blurted out.

He smiled kindly. "Of course not! I'll drop you off at the dining hall. We're just gonna have to speed this tour up, is all." He led me up the first flight of stairs to an adjoining hallway that was covered in a long green rug with a crest of the letter P every few meters. "The dining hall is just at the end of this hall and to the left. This is the school's main building, so there's a ton of offices and stuff in here. Reception, the dean's office, classrooms… Some of the Attunement placement exams are held here, too."

I repeated his words. "'Attunement placement?'"

He rolled his eyes and laughed. "I think it's kinda silly, too. I knew Earth was my thing when I caused a tiny earthquake throwing a tantrum over dessert when I was, like, five."

"Right… Totally… That's a thing that happens," I said awkwardly.

As we walked down the hall, I could hear a commotion coming from inside one of the rooms.

"Oh, _Hell_!" a girl's voice rang out.

"Um, Griffin? What's this room?" I asked, pointing at the doorway.

He turned around and followed my eyes. "That's the Hall of Mirrors, where you were _supposed_ to come through."

I pushed the door open slowly to find a gorgeous girl with long, dark hair with her foot stuck in a floor-length mirror. _What the… this day cannot get any weirder…_

"Oh, Thank goodness! Some assistance, s'il vous plait?" the French rolled off her tongue naturally. She had a handbag on the floor that looked seriously expensive, and her knitted blouse and knee-length skirt didn't look any cheaper.

Griffin and I looked at each other then rushed forward to grab each of her hands. As she fell forward, she landed in my arms and her foot hit the floor with a thud. She blew her bangs out of her face and beamed up at me. "Oops," she giggled. "Shreya Mistry, in your arms and at your service. Good catch by the way," she introduced herself as she stood straight and tidied her wardrobe.

"How did you get stuck?" I asked as she ran her fingers through her curly black hair. She had a long neck, tan skin, and opal eyes. Her shoulders were slender. She looked like a model, I thought.

She sighed. "I always have trouble with these silly mirrors, if I'm being honest. I much prefer air travel. But at least I made it. I was about five minutes away from starting my first year a month late," she giggled.

"Why a month?" I asked.

"That's when the first Visitor' Day is, when the wards reopen, of course," she explained as she picked up her bag and slung it gracefully over her shoulder. "Guess Penderghast is stuck with me now!" she beamed.

"Well, welcome," Griffin held his hand out. "I'm Griffin, this is Skyler. He's a first year, too. I was just showing him to the dining hall, if you'd want to come with."

She shook his hand daintily, like she expected him to kiss it, then put her hand on her hip. "No need," she spoke confidently. "I know just where it is. I'm a legacy student." She grinned properly and strutted out into the hallway.

We followed after her until we reached a pair of ornate doors, red wood with golden inlay. Griffin stopped and turned to me. "Well, that's the end of Griffin's tour! Sorry it was kind of rushed. I've gotta go, but good luck with the rest of orientation!" he beamed quickly then rushed off down the hallway in a jog.

"Actually, if you could just-," but it was too late… he was gone. I turned towards the doors and took a deep breath in, letting it out when I decided to finally open the door. I tried to slip in without anyone noticing me, but the room was so overwhelming that I froze. The ceiling looked like it was painted with stars and the stained-glass windows that stood from floor to ceiling let in rainbow light that made the numerous dining tables glow. Tapestries were hanging on every wall and the floor was tiled like a huge mural. When I got my act together, I slowly closed the door, which made a few heads turn my way, but overall, I didn't draw a lot of attention. The Dean was at a podium on the far side of the hall speaking to the students. Her voice rang through the large room across the tall ceilings.

"Pst! Hey! Over here!" someone whispered. My head spun in his direction. He was a skinny kid with dark spikey hair and a denim jacket. I pointed to myself and furrowed my eyebrows. He nodded and waved me over to his table. To avoid drawing more attention, I ducked over and took the seat next to him. "Hey, you're late! I'm Zephyr. You can call me Zeph if you want. Everybody does."

I furrowed my eyebrows at his extreme excitement. "I'm Skyler. Just Skyler."

"So, _just Skyler_, what's your Attunement?" he asked giddily.

Trying not to sound like an idiot that didn't belong there, I said, "I, um… I'm waiting until tomorrow to know for sure. Don't want to jinx it?"

He was going to respond, but the Dean cleared her throat loudly. "In conclusion, I'd like to remind you all that this is an institution of higher learning, not a playground for children. Put in the work or go home." All around us, students started getting up and heading towards the doors.

"She's just full to the brim with the warm fuzzies, isn't she?" Zeph joked.

"Wait, that's it? I missed the whole thing!" I groaned, thinking that this was the only thing that would explain what the hell was happening to me.

"Don't worry, Dean Goeffe's speeches are notoriously dry. Besides, I'm an _expert_ in listening and speaking at the same time," he grinned. "The gist is, the first years will line up at 7am in the foyer tomorrow to get assigned one of the staff as their examiner for placement tests." He pointed at the stage where a hairy, kind-faced man with horns was seated behind a table with a few other teachers. When he stood up, I noticed that he had goat legs…

"Oh my god! He's…," I said mostly to myself.

"Super tall! I know! I asked him already and the answer is over seven feet!" Zeph looked way too excited.

"I was going to say a satyr, but yeah, that, too," I mumbled as he got up and motioned for me to follow him.

As we followed the crowd out of the hall, Zeph said, "Classes will start after all the freshmen have been placed, and your schedule will be given to you then as well."

"So… What do we do now?" I asked, honestly very deep in over my head.

"Basically, the rest of the day is free. My roommate and I have a fun evening of bonding and laying out house rules ahead of us," he was way too happy at the idea of that.

We followed the crowd out onto the grounds, but I lost Zeph somewhere. _Uh… now what?_ I looked around, hoping I'd find him or Griffin…

"Hey, Skyler!" a familiarly soothing voice made me turn around. Griffin was coming from the bridge over the pond. I let out a relieved sigh when I saw him. "You survived orientation! How was it? As boring as last year's?"

"I wouldn't know… I wasn't at last year's… but this was really interesting. Well, not the actual speech, since I missed most of that," I babbled. "But I saw a satyr and I think I made a new friend. It's all so much considering where I was this morning…" As the words left my mouth, I remembered… _WHAT THE HECK AM I EVEN DOING HERE?!_

"Are you okay?" Griffin put his hand on my shoulder when he noticed my internal freak out.

I forced a laugh. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Just, um, first day jitters, I guess… It's all a bit overwhelming."

"Hey, it's going to be okay. If it makes you feel any better, you're really bright," he smiled.

I snorted. "I think my elementary teacher told me that once."

He took his hand back. "No, I mean like, inside. I can feel your energy through the ground. I felt it as soon as you stepped onto campus, actually."

"Really? What did I… feel like?"

"Hmm, it felt like taking your first sip of a hot drink that's just cooled down. The kinda warm you get all over your body, you know?" he tried to describe.

I eyeballed him. "That's a weird thing to say."

"Is it? Maybe I'm just kind of a weird guy," he laughed, completely unfazed. "It get's better, you know. My first day here was _awful_! I didn't really know anyone at first, but I figured that thanks to my Thief scholarship, I'd at least have my teammates, and then, next thing I know, I'm running naked across the lawn chasing the clothes my captain magicked to life while I was in the showers," he looked devastated at the memory.

I tried not to laugh. "No!" I mused.

"My point is, that day sucked, but there isn't a single moment since then that I regret coming here," he finally managed to reassure me. "Especially not now."

"Yeah, maybe it's not the _worst_ thing that this is where I ended up," I said. "At least it's interesting here," I mumbled.

"One thing I've learned in my time here is that if something happens to you, good or bad, it happened for a reason," he put his hand on my shoulder again. "I think you're _meant_ to be here." He grinned slyly. "I've got an idea. I could really use your help with something if you're up for it. If anything, it might make for a good distraction."

"Oh? What could you possibly need _my_ help for?" I asked with a laugh.

"There's this thing I lost last year. I must have missed it while I was packing up my dorm room, but I'm pretty sure I know where it is now," he started. "Still, it's gonna be hard to spot and an extra set of eyes would be fantastic. Do you wanna help me try and find it?"

I shrugged. "Why not? You were the first friendly face I met here. The least I can do is lend a hand with this."

"Awesome! I have a feeling you're going to like this," he grinned slyly again.

He led me up to the third floor of the main building. All of the hallways in that building look the same… The same green carpet, the same vintage pendant lights hanging from the arched ceiling, the same number of wooden doors… He finally stopped at the end of the hallway… at a dead end.

"If this is where your lost item is, it shouldn't be too hard to find, considering there's nothing here," I stated blandly, looking at the tapestry hanging from the wall. It had a giant letter P on it, just like the crest on the carpet, but there were several pie slices of colour behind it, instead of it being all green.

"Hang on a second," he grinned wildly before pressing his palms together. He moved his hands back and forth in front of the wall, like he was wiping steam from a mirror, only instead of seeing yourself more clearly, a door suddenly came into view.

"How did you do that? There was a wall… and now…"

He chuckled at my ignorance. "Invisibility wards are pretty basic. The key is knowing where to look. Now watch this," he clenched his fists then pressed his knuckles together. "Here we go," he took a big breath and tapped the doorknob with two fingers from his left hand. The lock made a clicking sound and swung open.

"Did you just Alohomora the door?!" I froze. Harry Potter _must_ have been real if this kind of shit was happening right before my eyes.

"What?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"Magically unlocking?" I tried to clarify.

"Yeah, that spell's a little more challenging. Metal's usually tough to work with, but it's close to Earth, so I do alright," he explained. I shook my head in disbelief. People flying, magically unlocking things, MAGIC… I was definitely at Hogwarts…

Griffin opened the door, revealing a cluttered storage room filled with random objects, colourful knick-knacks, and shelves bending under the weight of their contents. To the left of me was a stuffed raven that cawed at me repeatedly. There was a path cleared, barely wide enough to get through, that Griffin was already halfway down, starting to search.

"Wow… what is all of this?" I looked at everything. There was a bicycle, floating candles with purple flames, and a large spikey ball of metal shavings hovering in mid-air…

"This is a lost and found of sorts. Anything students forget on campus ends up in here. I think the professors put confiscated items in here too, hence the wards," he said, rustling through a bag on the floor. "The thing we're looking for is a silver ball, about the size of my fist, with an onyx button at the top."

"I see why you need the help…," I slowly started looking through the piles of junk on the shelves. A bell rang that caught me off guard. I jumped and looked around to find out what caused it. There was an eerie doll with a bell in her hand staring at me from a top shelf. She made eye contact with me before ringing it again. I shivered. "That's not creepy at all…" I walked farther into the room to escape the Jeepers Creepers toy and spotted a jar full of shiny jagged ovals. "What are these?" I picked up the container.

"Dragon scales. I wonder what they're doing down here… That's a lot of money gone to waste," he stood and walked over to me to eye the scales.

"Findertook!" a voice screeched behind me. I jumped again, expecting to be caught and in trouble for something… anything.

"Oh, ignore that thing. It's just going to spew nonsense at you," Griffin waved off the noise. My eyes finally followed my ears to an ivory pendant on a table with a woman's profile carved into it.

Her mouth moved again. "Thibity!" she screeched.

"What language is that even?"

"Honestly, I don't have a clue. I'm guessing it was some kind of prank gift," he explained as he sifted through some boxes behind me. I kept looking around and found a unicycle in the corner.

"Please tell me magical unicycles are a thing," I laughed.

He chuckled. "Last year some kid thought he could enchant it to fly. The professors confiscated it after he fell off of it about three stories up," he explained. "Turns out unicycles don't like to be enchanted."

I laughed again and moved on. There was a box full of random bits 'n bobs that I started sorting through. I found a crystal ball, or at least a broken one. The glass orb had a thick crack straight though the middle. "Does this actually work?"

"Not anymore. Crystal balls are usually used for divinations, though," Griffings voice was suddenly really close. I hadn't noticed him approach me.

"Well, that does make sense," I turned it over in my hands, feeling a strange draw to it. It felt cool. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and put the broken ball down. I walked farther down the aisle, squinting at the shelves. Something shiny caught my attention and drew me to a silver ball. "Hey, Griff, I found your… whatever this is."

"What? Nice! I knew inviting you along was a smart move," he beamed as he looked at the object in my hand. I slid my thumb over the onyx button and pressed it, causing several panels to pop out on all sides. It lit up the room in blues, purples, and pinks as the Milkyway galaxy was projected into the room.

"Woah…," I was speechless. It was amazing.

"It's a star-tracker. It maps the rotation of the stars!" he explained. "They're a tool for Astroweavers mostly, but I found this one here a while ago."

I looked straight at him. "Astro… what now?"

"They maintain constellations, mostly. A lot of Air-Atts go into that field after graduation," he told me, seeming even closer to me than he was before.

"Is that what you want to do after school?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Nah, Earth-Atts are a little more… grounded than that," he joked. "I'm thinking of majoring in natural preservation sciences. I just like having a star-tracker. It makes me feel bigger than myself, being able to see the stars so close in real time like this," he paused for a moment and looked up. "What do you think? Worth finding?"

I was a bit distracted by the cosmos projected above me. I could point out a few different constellations from the southern half of the celestial plain. When I finally did speak, I said, "Yeah, this place is amazing. Seriously, it's incredible. Thanks for the invite."

"No, thank_ you_. I'm so bad at finding stuff. I never would have gotten this back without your help," he closed the orb and grinned at me. "We should get out of here. I don't like to leave the ward on the door down for too long."

"Yeah, sure." We started towards the door through the skinny pathway. "Say, could you show me to the dorm? This campus is huge, and if I tried to find it myself, I'd probably end up sleeping on the front lawn." He laughed and nodded, but I was serious.

I followed him outside and around campus until we reached a big building with a sign out front that said "Fletchly Residence Halls."

"Here you go," he announced. "Once you get inside, someone'll help you find your room, I'm sure of it. Hey, and thanks again, Skyler. I appreciate you helping me find my star-tracker."

I waved him off. "Don't worry about it. You've helped me so much today, I had to return the favour."

"See you around?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

"See you around," I nodded, giving him a brief wave as he walked away. I turned towards the doors and took a deep breath. "Good luck, Sky," I told myself before walking into the dorm.

The lobby of the dorm looked like a hotel. There was a lounge and a reception desk and an open balcony above the lobby… It was nearly empty, except for one upperclassman with a clipboard. She waved me over and asked if I needed help finding my room.

"Um…," I couldn't think of what to say… I wasn't going to have a room… I suddenly appeared in a pond… I was going to get caught for sure.

She cocked her head. "You can just tell me your last name and I'll point you in the right direction."

"Um," I repeated, "Dietz." I held my breath as she skimmed her clipboard, sure I wouldn't be on it. _Maybe I should have lied…_

"Wait a minute," she frowned, and I could feel my soul leave my body.

"Okay, I confess… I'm not actually a-," I started.

She suddenly flipped the page over and said, "Here we go! Skyler Dietz, first floor, room 108. Your roomie has been checked in since this morning." Her smile was huge.

I slammed my hand to my chest and let out a longer breath than I'd intended. "Thank you," I said hastily and bolted down the hallway, trying to avoid any unnecessary questions. When I was around the corner, I leaned against the wall for a second to catch up with what just happened. _I was on the list?! How?!_ _I thought this was all some huge misunderstanding, but… MY NAME WAS ON THE LIST!_ I composed myself and started down the hall, looking for 108. I could hear music, laughing, and other weird and random noises coming from behind some of the doors. Eventually, I found my room. I reached to open the door, but my hand didn't find anything. I looked down. There was _no doorknob_?! "Oh, come on. This place should come with an instruction manual…" I tried to lean my forehead against the door, but I fell straight through and stumbled into a room. "What in the?!" I turned around to find the door closed behind me.

"It's you again!" a shrill voice came from the room. "Well, aren't I the lucky girl?" I spun back around and found the girl that had been stuck in the mirror.

"Oh, right, from earlier… I kind of lost you in the dining hall… Shreya, right?" I tried to act as casually as possible, knowing full well she just saw me fall through the door.

"Yes, sorry about that. I had friends waiting, and, well, you know how that goes," she sat delicately on the sofa.

I nodded exaggeratedly. "Oh, yeah, right, totally."

"I'm so pleased! I'll be a perfect roommate. I don't know what you've heard about me, but I assure you it's only partially true," she giggled and paused, either to breathe or for dramatic effect… I wasn't sure…

"I hear you get stuck in mirrors sometimes," I teased.

She blushed just a little bit and I could see her huff through her smile. She shook her head like she was shaking any negative words out of her mind. "I _was_ hoping my roommate would have a bit more panache in the style department, but being as trendy as me isn't easy," she gleamed.

I couldn't help but smile. "Solid burn." I'd been wearing a white button up with a lilac knit sweater pulled over top, faded grey jeans, and lavender canvas shoes. I knew the sweater and the shoes didn't match, but I'd just grabbed clothes out of my closet that morning for my guidance counselling appointment…

She grinned back playfully. "I'm just kidding. You aren't completely devoid of style," she said, looking me over, "but you could still use a few pointers. Luckily, you have me to help you!" I raised an eyebrow, wondering if she was going to be this high-energy all the time. "Well, say something."

"Lucky me. I could always use new fashion tips," I stared down at her as she batted her eyes at me.

"Oh, I like you already."

I snickered. "I think I'm going to like you, too, but if you don't mind, I've had the worst day of my life so far, and could really use a second to just… decompress," I said, sitting on the arm of the sofa across from her and falling onto my back with a groan. The cushions were so soft I started sinking.

The place was like a lounge. There was a living room with two modern-esk blue couches and a stylish wooden coffee table, a fireplace with blue fire, and floating candles near each side table where I would have normally put a lamp. The mantle had a large picture frame with the Penerghast crest mounted on the wall and a statue of a sphinx sat in front as if to guard it. It was really homey for being so fancy.

"So, you said before that whatever I've heard about you is only 'partially true,'" I did air quotes.

She rolled her eyes. "I know you're thinking about me and Fifi's tiff at Mistry Inc.'s annual charity fashion show," she sighed.

"I… have no idea what any of that means," I said honestly.

"You know, the one with the lava rock runway?" she tried to 'refresh' my memory, but I was still out of the loop. _Lava rock runway?_ "It was all over the news a month ago, not to brag."

"I get the feeling that if I tell you that I have no earthly idea who you are, it's going to be a whole thing," I squinted at her, hoping she wouldn't be one of _those_ people…

She was completely still for an entire minute. Then she smiled, but it looked painful. "Not. At. All. My family is only the number one purveyor of enchanted objects worldwide, but why would you know that? Besides… This was the whole point! To come to college, have new experiences, fly under the radar, become the person I want to be, you know?"

"Now _that_ I can relate to," I sat up, finally engaged in this conversation. "Honestly, that's the same thing I was hoping to get out of the collegiate experience. Do you ever feel like no matter how hard you try, nothing fits? Like the things that you think are going to make you happy never do?"

"Absolutely. It's how I felt all the time. Until I arrived here, of course," she stood up and sat next to me on the sofa.

I inched over for her and started unloading my emotional baggage, but she didn't seem to mind at all. "This morning, I was at this university I used to think was finally going to be my place in the world, but it quickly became clear that it wasn't. Then I got here and, yeah, it's a little weird and a little hard to believe, but for the first time something feels right. And now it's… all going to be taken away…," I trailed off, remembering that I _didn't_ actually belong there, and I was going to get caught eventually.

"Taken away? I don't understand. Why would-," she paused.

I took a deep breath and decided to just tell her the truth. That I didn't have magic and that I had no idea where I was or if it was even real. Was I still dreaming? If I was, it was the longest dream I'd ever had. Maybe I was in a coma. "I can't do magic!" I stood up from the sofa and started pacing around the room.

"What?" she stayed seated, but her eyes followed me as I made my laps.

"I was in my bathroom at home and then there was something weird in the mirror, and when I touched it, I just…," I threw my arms up in frustration, unable to explain it to myself, let alone someone else. I flopped back onto the couch. "I don't know what to do now. I'm afraid of what will happen if I tell someone, but I know I can't _leave_." I turned to see Shreya's wide eyes. "Um… you're not going to, like, erase my memory, or melt my brain, or anything?"

"I'll help you!" she grinned widely.

"Really? Why would you do that?" I asked, baffled. "I mean… Thank you. I thought the first person I told would, I don't know… light me on fire… Can you guys do that?"

She shrugged. "Well, _I_ certainly can, being a Fire-Att and all, but I won't," she smirked. "Part of the reason I came to college was to meet all different kinds of people, and _you_, Skyler, are quite an interesting kind of person. But have you considered that there may be magic in you? Have you tried any?"

"Uh, no? Well… there was that thing with the door," I looked behind me.

She laughed. "No, no. The doors are enchanted to accept the tenant's genetic code. That wouldn't count." She leaned forward and tapped her fingers on the coffee table, her eyes darting around the room. Suddenly, she jumped off of the couch and bounded over to the mantle. "I've got it! Come on, let's go before the shop closes."

"Wait, wait. Where are we going? I thought we couldn't leave campus," I objected, not wanting to be in even more trouble.

She pulled me off of the couch by my wrist and dragged me over to the other side of the room where there stood a door with nearly 12 doorknobs, each a different shape and size. "There are a few preselected places we're allowed to go. Like Penn Square, for example," she reached for a knob just as I noticed they were labelled.

"Shreya's room, Skyler's room, Penn Square… wait… Are you saying my room is in there?" This day was getting more and more bizarre.

"Sure. So is mine, and Penn Square, and the lake. That one opens up in a tree, though," she pointed to the knob for the lake. "It can be quite unpleasant if you run into a Berkspire."

"A what?" but before I got my answer, she turned the knob she'd had her hand on and swung the door open. We walked out into the middle of a town. There were vendors and stores lining the area. The ground was cobblestone, but there was a brick mural of a sun tiled into the main circle. "Woah…"

"Charming, right?" she gestured to the circle. "Welcome to Penn Square."

There was a majestic woman with deep blue skin and tusks dragging a screaming toddler with impish horns past a magic toy store… Passed that was a pair of men with pointed ears and webbed hands debating over a beaded bracelet at a stall with a sign that just said "Charms."

"Is that… a vendor selling heads?" I asked, pointing to a nearby booth with shrivelled human heads hanging from the eaves.

Before I got a response, she'd grabbed me by the arm and started pulling me down the street. "Yes, but you'll want to stay away from those unless you want to end up with a nasty curse," she finally said. "Come on, no time to waste! We need to get you something to help with that whole 'no magic' thing."

"And how exactly are we supposed to fix that?" I raised my brow at her, not that she could see it while she was dragging me. She didn't reply for the rest of the journey, but she stopped suddenly, making me almost run into her. The store in front of us was labelled "Maison D'Yew" and a smaller sign in the window called it the "one stop shop for one stop shopping."

"Let's get inside and see if they have what we're looking for," she smiled and dragged me through the door.

"What _are_ we looking for?" I asked as the door closed behind me. The store was like a pawnshop of magical items. There were clothes, assorted trinkets, beakers of colourful liquids, and all manner of glowing, spinning, and rattling objects that moved on their own or had some sort of aura about them. "How are we supposed to find anything in here?"

"That's where I come in!" I chipper voice came from somewhere… behind the desk maybe? "Oh, um, just a second, please!" An overstocked pile of lamps near the corner shook and began to rattle off of each other. Soon candelabras and a few other light fixtures started to avalanche down from the top of the pile, landing awfully close to my feet. I tried to back up, but Shreya still had me by the wrist. I held my other arm up to block my face as a few started flying down at me, but the impact, or noise at least, I was expecting never happened. I opened my eyes and dropped my arm. "Sorry about that! I was organising some of the floghart's droppings we store under this armoire," the voice from before was suddenly behind me and the lamps in front of me were frozen in mid-air. I looked back at the girl. She was green with dark brown hair and vines wrapped up and down her arms and legs. She flicked her hand and the lamps and candelabras re-stacked themselves. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you." The flowers in her hair seemed to open and close as her expression changed and the leaves along her arm vines danced like a breeze had struck them. I found myself staring at her. She was a curious thing. She gave me a gentle smile. "First time meeting a wood nymph? I'm Aster. I run this shop," she greeted me, holding out her hand.

I managed to get my wrist out of Shreya's vice grip and shook Aster's hand. Her hand was soft, but felt like the polished wood of a freshly built bookcase. "Hi, I'm Skyler. Nice to meet you. You have an… interesting store."

She beamed, her flowers looking bright and vibrant. "Thank you," she looked behind me, as if something had caught her attention, and her green eyes turned black, the whites of her eyes becoming clouded. After a second, I noticed that she wasn't with us anymore.

"Um… Ms. Aster?" I moved my head a bit, wondering if I'd get her attention. Her hand felt limp in mine, but it gripped a bit harder than I'd expected.

"Interesting…," she whispered. Instantly, her eyes recoloured and her focus returned, flipping between Shreya and me. "Oh, it's you again! I was hoping you'd be back!" she beamed at her.

"I'd assume so. I spent a minor fortune the last time I was here," Shreya laughed, completely disregarding what had just happened. "Listen, love, do you have any marbles? My friend here is worried about the first day of classes and wants a boost." _I guess we _won't_ talk about whatever that was._

I looked between the two of them. "Yeah, I'm real nervous about it. Anything would help."

Still holding my hand, she said, "So you're a Penderghast student, too? You both are so lucky!" Finally, she slipped out of my grasp and skipped behind the counter with the register. "I've been _begging_ Papa to let me go, but he's still bitter about all that wand business." She ducked behind the counter and, after a few seconds, came back up, coughing, with a dusty wooden box. The label said "Mistry Miracle Marbles" in gold letters. She gestured for me to look at it.

When I stepped forward, I gave Shreya a look. _Mistry is her surname, right?_ I opened the box and stared down at the four glowing orbs padded by purple satin. "Cool… What are they?"

Shreya took her spot next to me and pulled the clear orb out of the box. White smoke twisted around inside. "One of Mistry Inc.'s bestsellers. Each of these orbs contains enough magic to perform one spell per element," she put it back and pulled out the blue one. "They may be small, but they pack quite a punch. Like one very beautiful, very down-to-earth heiress we all know and love," she winked. She placed the orb in my palm and folded my fingers over it. "And this little guy is all yours."

"But… why would magic people need something like this?" I pondered aloud.

"You can use it instantly instead of taking the time to build a spell, _and_ it won't use up any of your own magic, so you can cast again immediately," she explained.

"They're the very best on the market," Aster mused. "Of course, they'll only work for the elements with which they correspond."

I looked closer at the blue smoke writing around like a restless ocean. It was almost hypnotising. The other two in the box were green and red. "So… how do you use it?"

"Ah, Aster, do you have any singles?" Shreya asked.

Aster dug through a drawer in the counter then handed her a dusty blue orb. "It'll cost you, and I must insist you go outside to-," but it was too late. Shreya raised the marble up above her head, rolling it between her thumb and index finger. A raincloud appeared out of nowhere as the blue smoke disappeared and rain started falling heavily on all of our faces.

"See? It's easy," Shreya grinned.

"You Attuned never listen!" Aster shrieked, flicking water droplets off of her arms. Her leaves rustled angrily as she glared at my roommate. She snapped her fingers and a strong wind blew the cloud out of the store and managed to dry everything on the spot.

"Oh, don't be such a tenacious toad, Aster," Shreya rolled her eyes before turning to me. "What do you think, Sky? These will surely come in handy."

I gave Aster an apologetic look as she shuffled through some things on the counter to make sure they were dry. "These'll at least help me fly under the radar until I can figure out what to do next," I bit my lip and searched for my wallet in my back pocket. "How much…," I pulled out what I thought they were worth and held it out to her. She and Shreya glanced at my hand then at me, then back to my hand. "Is that not enough?"

"Absolutely not," Aster grinned widely and giggled. "This money is completely worthless. Lucky for you, I can fetch a high price for it on the collector's market."

Guilt and embarrassment stabbed my soul. I needed to get out of there… _Why didn't Shreya tell me my money wasn't good here?!_ Shreya, seeing my humiliation, waved a quick goodbye to Aster and pushed me out of the store, box in hand. Before I knew it, I was back in the dorm.

Shreya flopped down onto the couch and beamed up at me. "So, now that you've got a bit of magic to take into battle, do you think you're ready to face tomorrow?"

"Honestly, I don't see how it'll matter after this Attunement placement thing… Seriously, Shreya, what am I going to do?" I set the box down on the table and fell onto the couch next to her, my head in my hands.

Her arm wrapped around my shoulders as she leaned into me. "You're going to get through this because _I'm_ going to help you. And I'm just too fabulous to fail," she held her chin up confidently. I snickered at her, which made her laugh.

Then something caught my eye over her shoulder. The mirror… there was something off… a shadow? Or a smudge? I squinted at it, swearing I saw it move. "Shreya, do you see that?" I pointed to where I was looking.

"Hm?" she turned around, puzzled at my sudden curiosity.

I stood up and walked around to the mirror, eyeing it closely to figure out where the shadow was coming from. I cocked my head a bit then… I saw him… the guy that had been in my dream _and_ my mirror at home. "Wait… that's…" He looked miserable. His eyes were mostly covered by his shaggy white bangs, but I could tell they were heavy and tired. He looked down at the shadow that had gotten my attention… and it was on _my_ side of the glass. "What-"

"Skyler!" Shreya shouted, nearly knocking over the coffee table as she bolted to her feet.

I looked back at the shadow, but now it was red, like it was on fire… and it had a face… It hissed and I almost fell backwards. It sprang towards me and I only missed it by tripping over the couch arm. It flew over my head and towards the back wall. It hissed again as it redirected back at me. "What the hell?!" I rolled out of the way and onto the floor then scrambled to my feet. Shreya looked completely terrified. I instinctively stood directly in front of her, but when the shadow darted our direction, I didn't know what to do. I threw my hand up, hoping it wouldn't hurt too much when it hit me, but all I felt was warmth on my hand. A bright light flashed through the room, nearly blinding me. Some kind of energy shot from my hand and pierced straight through the shadow ball. "What… How…?!" I sputtered, unable to comprehend any of what was happening. I looked down at my hand as the light faded from the room, but my palm still glowed golden. The shadow was gone… but now there was a new problem… though… it didn't feel wrong… it felt calming… The energy pulsing through me felt as comforting as a warm blanket on a windy day. "What the _hell_ was that?!" I fumbled into the chair next to me, not taking my eyes off of my glowing hand.

"I… I don't know," Shreya was frozen in place, still in shock. After a few seconds, a proud smirk graced her face and her breathing was more controlled. "It looks like there may be hope for you yet."

* * *

Author's Note:

Some of you have probably read my other Elementalists story, "New Horizons", and are probably thinking this story is very similar in a lot of ways. Well, you would be right about that. Both of these stories are based around the same Choices book, therefore have very similar beginnings. I assure you, that these two stories will differ as they progress, as the two main characters are different and as such will react differently to new situations. I truly hope you all enjoy my new story and continue to read it if it pleases you.

TTFN,

LoZ


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Placement Exams

The next morning, I woke up on the floor next to a bed that I didn't recognise. It wasn't my bed… which meant… _yesterday wasn't a dream._ I sat up and rubbed at my face, letting out my groan of confusion. _How the hell is any of this real?_ Though it wasn't my room, it did feel rather homey… like it was made for me. The bed sheets and carpet were blue, which contrasted the light maple wood of the bed frame and desk. There were shelves with books hanging along the wall, all of which were either magic related or seemed quite similar to books I had in my apartment. There was even a copy of _Bloodlines_, which I had acquired recently from a shabby bookstore near campus. _That's weird…_

I got dressed, though, I really only had the clothes I'd shown up in, so I suppose there wasn't much to change. I just didn't wear my sweater. I tentatively opened the door, looking for my new roommate, but she didn't appear to be there. She _did _leave a note on the coffee table… It told me that she'd gone ahead to breakfast and that I should follow. With a deep breath and a slight slap on the cheek, I stumbled out of my dorm and into the campus dining hall. The whole walk there, I couldn't get the image of that creepy shadow out of my mind.

When I entered the hall, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the mass of students rushing around from table to table. There was a buffet line against the far wall. That seemed like the place to start. I trudged tiredly over to the table. As I eyed the table, I noticed that the food didn't look quite right… The eggs were blue, the sausages looked like they were on fire, and what looked like it might have been milk was fizzing in the pitcher. Another thing that was weird, the food replaced itself as portions were taken by the students ahead of me.

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to this place," I mumbled, scratching at the back of my neck. I got in line and noticed Shreya a few places in front of me. The student in front of her was a tall, pink haired guy with tiny horns erupting from his temples.

"Oh, hey!" Shreya noticed me and flagged me over. I felt bad for cutting the line, but nobody seemed to care. "Good morning, sleepyhead. How are you feeling after… you know?"

I let out a forced laugh. "Well, discovering that this whole time I've actually been a magician… wizard? Witch?"

"Attuned, actually," she giggled.

"Okay, _Attuned_," I corrected myself. "I'm basically feeling all the emotions at once. Weird, excited, confused, scared," I explained. "I mean… what _was_ that shadow thing that attacked us last night?"

Shreya gave me a sharp look when she noticed that a few of the students had turned their heads toward us. "Maybe don't tell the whole school about it!" she whispered with a hint of irritation on her voice. "We don't know for sure what that thing was… or what any of this means."

"Keep quiet? Fine… I guess we can keep it on the down low for now," I reluctantly agreed, suddenly noticing how uncomfortable the stares were. "I'm just," I lowered my voice. "Honestly, I'm freaking out a bit."

She frowned at me. "And I totally get that, but for now, let's keep this between us while we figure it out. Besides, I don't actually _know_ what that thing was. I tried doing some research last night, but I came up utterly short."

The line moved forward quicker than I thought it would, which only made me remember how tired I was. "Ugh, I'm exhausted. I basically passed out after… the _thing_ last night, which means I got, what? Two hundred hours of sleep? So why does it feel like I've been hit by a train?" I groaned. "And I'm _so_ hungry. I could eat an entire pizza shop by myself."

She snickered. "You are _so_ Tuneless, it's adorable."

"Why does that feel like an insult?" I asked.

"Magic uses up a _ton_ of energy. Especially when you cast whatever crazy powerful spell that was last night," she explained. "To be perfectly honest, I've never in my _life_ seen casting that looked like that."

"What are you saying?" I needed clarification. My brain was not working, and her tone could have been taken as either intrigue or fear, but knowing her, a bit of both.

She grinned. "I'm _saying_ that whatever spell you shot off last night was packing some insane energies, Mr. 'Woe is me, I have no magic,'" she mocked. "So you're starving because that blast sucked all of the food out of you, essentially." Her face suddenly got serious. "This is probably the only time you'll hear me say this… but… you should…," she grimaced, "_carboload_." She whispered the last word like it was sacrilege, then immediately covered her mouth with both hands.

I cracked. "Good to know. Thanks, Shreya." I was barely able to contain my smile as we finally reached the table. My eyes couldn't take in how much food there was. There were crystal fruits, tarts shaped like cats and toads, and a whole roasted pig, which honestly made me a little uneasy. The fruit did look good, though.

"_Behold!"_ Shreya lifted her arms like she was presenting the feast to me. "The miracle of a magic breakfast! Covers the entire food pyramid, and everything in between."

Right in front of me was something that _looked_ like alphabet cereal, but the letters rearranged themselves frequently and whatever liquid they were in was green. "What… is this?"

"Prophecy O's," she told me. "They're more like fortune cookie fortunes than actual prophecies, but they're still a lot of fun." Next to that was a tray of blue fried eggs that looked like they had eyeballs in the yolk. "These are Yorba eggs," she picked up a plate and added it to her tray. "They're my favourite. They scream when you eat them, but you get over it once you taste the rich, gooey deliciousness," she gave me a huge smile, like it was the only thing worth trying. Just passed the eggs sat a tray of sausage links that were still on fire, though there was no burner under them. "These are dragon links, sausages cooked over dragon flame. Be careful. They're very spicy."

I picked up a bowl of cereal, thinking that it seemed like the only food there that looked remotely normal. "All this food looks so… interesting," I chose my words carefully as I added what looked like a glass kiwi to my tray. We found an empty round table with three chairs over in the corner. I took a minute to watch Shreya eat her screaming eggs before gathering up the courage to eat anything… not that I needed the motivation… I was _starving_. As I was about to take a bite, the cereal began to rearrange itself at lightning speed. "Um… What is it doing?" As I spoke, the letters settled down, spelling out the phrase 'blood is thicker than water'. "Well, that's helpful. Not really a prophecy, though, or a fortune. It's just kind of a phrase."

"At least it's a short phrase," Shreya said once she swallowed her last bite of Yorba eggs. "I once had to wait for mine to spell out a whole paragraph. Trust me, soggy Prophecy O's are the worst."

I shrugged and took a bite, desperately wanting food. The sugary crunch was actually pretty good, and the milk kind of tasted like mint. "Wow, this is good," I muttered through my food, table manners be damned. I was starving.

"Skyler! So we meet again!" the kid from yesterday slid into our empty seat. "You look like you're settling in well."

"Zeph, right?" I asked. When he nodded, I replied, "Trying my best."

He turned to Shreya with a shameless grin. "And _you_ must be one of the infamous Mistry sisters," he wiggled his eyebrows. "I was expecting someone wearing expensive clothes, covered head to toe in diamonds. I'm Zeph, by the way. It's short for Zephyr."

Shreya rolled her eyes with a smile. "Nice to meet you, and sorry to disappoint. I left my diamond-encrusted onesie at home."

When they got their giggles out, I leaned in and said, "Okay, there's no-one else around. So, about the thing last night…"

"Skyler! Do you really think we should be talking about this _here_?" she whispered, shooting a side glance at Zeph.

He rolled his eyes. "I can go if you want…" I squinted at him, giving him a thorough look-over to see if he seemed trustworthy. "Listen, I know we don't know each other that well, but I am _great_ at keeping secrets," he set his palm flat on the table.

I looked at Shreya. "He might have some insight that could help… The more heads the better, right?"

She let out a sigh. "Still, I'd feel more comfortable if we discussed it away from prying ears."

"Why don't we go back to the dorm then?" I suggested. "The exam isn't supposed to start for another hour anyway." She shook her head and the three of us headed back to our room.

We actually ended up in my room somehow, but I didn't mind since I hadn't settled in at all. It's not like it was my apartment, which was a bit of a mess all the time. I sat at the desk and looked around, still utterly stunned that this was apparently my room. "I don't know if I'll ever get over how cool this place is."

Shreya was snooping around in a matter of seconds. "I guess it's not too shabby. Though, the closet space is _abysmal_," she scoffed as she slid the door to my closet closed.

"You could always use the desk for extra storage space. What else would you use it for?" Zeph plopped onto the bed.

"Um… studying?" I suggested, thinking that was obvious.

Shreya rolled her eyes and sat next to Zeph. "Please. It's 2018. You're telling me you don't study on your bed?"

I shook my head. "No. I've always made it a habit to have a clear study station." They both looked at me like I'd lost my head.

Zeph leaned back on his elbows to look around Shreya. "Okay, enough idle chatter. What's going on that's oh-so-secret?"

"Not much, I'm afraid," Shreya turned to me, biting her lip and giving me an eye. "I spent half the night researching the creature that attacked you, but I couldn't find _anything_!" she grunted.

"Hold on, you were attacked?" Zeph shot up. "Are you okay? That must've been terrifying!"

I shrugged. "I handled it pretty well. All things considered, I kept my cool… even though that thing was super weird… like a small angry ball of smoke…," I leaned back in the chair and crossed my arms.

"Hmm. It kind of sounds like a Follower," Zeph said. "They're basically harmless little wisps of smoke sent to terrorize people as a prank."

"This was no prank," I narrowed my eyes as I stared down the desk drawers, "or if it was, it was a pretty shitty one."

"Actually, I-," Shreya started, but she bit her lip to stop herself. "Never mind. You're probably right."

Zeph smiled at me. "I don't suppose you've made any enemies in the last, oh, twenty-four hours or so, Skyler?"

I shrugged again. "I've only _been_ here for the last twenty-four hours or so, but I haven't had any undesirable encounters…," I trailed off, thinking of the day before. There was only one person who even gave me a bad look, but I hadn't _done_ anything to him… "Maybe one?"

"Well, there you have it. That's probably your prankster," he grinned, completely satisfied with himself, though I didn't think that guy… Beckett… gave off the prankster vibe… then again, I was new to this world, so maybe things were different here. "But since that case is closed for now, onto a more important topic! Our first day!"

I sat up straight. "Oh yeah, do I, um, need an owl or a wand or something? I feel under equipped."

Shreya covered her eyes with her hands. "I am so embarrassed to be near you right now."

Zeph laughed. "You don't need anything. Today you're going to take your Attunement placement test _and_ you'll get to go to your first class."

Shreya stood up and straightened her skirt. "I personally can't wait to learn some transmutation spells. Skyler, why don't you get dressed so we can head down?"

I looked down at myself and back up at her, shaking my head. "You know my situation. These are literally the only clothes I have." I didn't think I looked _bad_. Maybe I wasn't as pressed as I would have liked to have been, but it wasn't _bad_. I had on a white button up, my boyfriend jeans, and my lavender Tims, which were only frustrating because they didn't match the four articles of clothing I'd brought with me. I always wore a sun pendant on a silver chain around my wrist. My mom told me I'd had it when she adopted me.

Shreya looked like she'd have a fit. "Nope. No. Absolutely not. I've held my tongue for as long as I can, but I just can't let you make a fool of yourself any longer."

"Hey," I objected.

"Your outfit is… fine… I suppose… for the Attuneless world, but you're at Penderghast now," she continued. "You _must_ allow me to style you. It's your first day. Your societal debut, if you want to get technical!" she was pacing a bit, but stopped by the door. "I saw the perfect outfit at Maison D'Yew yesterday, and it's traditional black!" she slammed her fist into her open hand. "It was _the_ signature Attuned colour back in the day. You'll definitely make quite the splash in it," she turned to glare at me. "You're lucky I bought it." She stormed out and came back about a minute later with an armful of clothes. "Put this on!" she threw it at me. I held it up to look it over before setting it down on the desk and unbuttoning my shirt. "Ugh! Wait for me to leave first!" she blushed and stormed back out. Zeph chuckled and followed after her.

It really was a stellar outfit, black slacks, black blazer, black blouse, but the coolest thing was the tie chain. It had two golden scarab pins connected by two thin golden chains. I looked hot.

When I stepped out into the lounge, Shreya stood instantly. "Yes! I'm glad you value the importance of a first impression! Especially because I already bought the outfit. You can just pay me back later."

"I guess that means I look good?" I laughed.

"Black is definitely your colour," Zeph nodded.

"As I knew it would be," Shreya circled me, inspecting every crease to make sure I was wearing it right. "You're going to be the second most stylish first year at Penderghast. After myself, of course."

Before I could thank them, a voice rung in my ears. "First years! Attention, please! We're ready to start the Attunement placement exams. Come down to the foyer to be assigned your examiner!" It was like a personal PSA.

"Uh, did you guys hear that, too?" I asked to make sure I wasn't bonkers.

"It's just a school-wide announcement. Not reason to fret," Shreya grabbed her handbag and started through the door to the hallway.

"Yes! I'm so pumped for this! Come on, Sky, let's go!" Zeph bounded after her, waving for me to follow.

Zeph was so far ahead of us when we got outside that we could take a minute to talk. Shreya put her hand on my shoulder and leaned closely to me. "Look, Skyler. I know you're worried about whatever that thing was, so I'll tell you," she started in a low whisper. "I don't think it was a Follower. I did a _ton_ of research last night. Like, seriously, more than I do for class, and that was one of my potential options. In the end I had to rule it out. It just didn't fit what we saw last night."

"So that means…," I stopped and looked her in the eyes.

"Whatever attacked us is something… obscure. Something that's not easy to find," she said ominously.

"Hey! Are you guys coming or what?" Zeph yelled back up the hill at us. I put up my hand to tell him we'd be right there.

"Don't worry, we'll figure it out. Whatever it is," she gave me a kind smile and started down the hill again.

After a bit of a walk down and back up to the main building, we ended up in the entry hall, where Dean Goeffe stood at the top of the first set of stairs and looked down upon the students below her.

"Does she ever smile?" I asked Zeph. "You'd think she hates her job or something."

He smirked. "Uh, her job is keeping a bunch of post-adolescent magic-using youths alive. I _am_ one and I _still_ don't want that job."

"Fair point," I agreed, turning back to the main focus of the event. There were several long papers tacked to the far wall. Everyone was waiting in line to see which staff member they'd been paired with. I found my name under Professor Kontos' list, to meet in the greenhouse near that pond I arrived in.

"You got Kontos, too? Nice! And mine is right before yours. Walk over together?" Zeph's arm was around my shoulders and his voice was higher when he was excited.

"Sure," I agreed, trying to fight my way back through the crowd of kids that hadn't seen their names yet.

"I have to trudge all the way across campus to the clock tower for mine," Shreya appeared again and stood with a hand on her hip. "I'll catch up with you later, Skyler, Zephyr," she said before strutting off the way she did.

We were right behind her, ready to head out to the field. I saw Griffin and gave him a brief wave before ducking out through the large front doors. I could hear his voice behind me. "Good luck, freshy!" I snorted.

"Hey, about earlier," Zeph started as we walked back down the hill. "Sorry if it felt like I was prying."

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. Shreya was just being cautious, but I know I can trust you. I just have a feeling about it, and she knows she can trust you now, too."

"Still," he said, "I wish I could have been more help. It seems like you're going through a lot."

I laughed unintentionally. "You could say that… But I've got you and the famous Shreya Mistry in my corner now, so I think I'll be alright."

He beamed. "Shreya's something else, isn't she? Sharp as a knife, great sense of humour, and a stellar fashion sense. She's my kind of person."

"Sounds like someone's got a crush," I teased.

He waved his hand in front of his face. "Nah, it's not like that. I'm aro-ace, actually." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Aromantic and asexual," he explained. "Basically, I'm just not really into people romantically or sexually. I guess the best way to say it is, I'm just into people… friendically."

"Huh, I see. That's interesting," I said. "I hope you didn't feel pressured into sharing that."

He shook his head. "Not at all. I wanted to tell you. I'm done with being afraid of showing people who I really am. That's so high school Zeph," he said confidently. "Besides, I wanted you to know this little factoid about me, since it's obvious we're going to be the best of friends."

I raised a brow at him again. "What if I don't want to be your friend?" I teased.

He gasped playfully. "You should be _honoured_ to be my friend," he put a hand to his chest in mock shock.

"Well, I _guess_ you seem cool," I smirked. He beamed. "Since you shared, I'll grace you with one of my most well kept secrets. I'm gay," I said quite seriously.

He tried to fight his smile. "Is that so? I hadn't noticed."

I snorted, throwing my shoulder into his playfully. "Bullshit. I'm as obvious as the plot twist in Episode 5 of Star Wars."

He chuckled, too. "Maybe a little."

As we walked across the lawn, he high-fived and waved to some people. "How do you know so many people?"

He was still all smiles. "Another one of my great, magical talents. I'm a total people person. Everyone wants a piece of this action!" he gestured to himself and did a little twirl.

I laughed. "It must be your otherworldly charm and man-of-mystery vibe."

He stopped and nodded. "I like the sound of that." His excitement returned quicker than it had faded. "Oh! I just thought of a fun game. It'll take us a while to cross campus, so… How 'bout this? You can ask me any question you want, and I'll answer with complete honesty, but only until we reach the greenhouse, kay?"

"I'm in, but be prepared. I am a killer with complicated questions," I joked.

"Hit me with your best shot. I'm an open book," he postured as we walked.

I thought for a second. "I hope you're ready, because I've got a real zinger." He did a come-at-me action. "What's your reason for coming to Penderghast?"

Without hesitation, he answered, "Because they offered me a scholarship." I chortled. "It was kind of crazy. I'd never really gotten good grades in high school, so my grandma was pretty resigned to me going somewhere local, but then I guess I totally nailed the interview because here I am!" he gestured to the campus.

"Have you given any thought as to what you want to do after?"

He shrugged, still smiling. "Sure, plenty. I'm just... not quite sure yet how Penderghast ties into that stuff, you know? I think I'd really like to spend time traveling. We went on a lot of vacations over the years and I always loved those. My grandma's pretty tight with her wallet, but she always saves up to take my sister and me on vacation every couple of years. She says it's important for young people to see what they can of the world while their knees still work," he laughed at himself.

"Anyone who appreciates the importance of a regular holiday schedule is a true hero," I said. "Your grandmother sounds awesome."

"That's an understatement," he beamed. "She's incredible! She basically raised me and Ziomara when we were little."

"Your family is really into Z-names, huh?" I teased.

"Yeah, it's kind of a family tradition on my dad's side going all the way back to my great grandfather, Zeke," he informed me without any sense of holding back. He really was being completely honest. "After my great grandmother died, he remarried a water nymph and moved out to an island in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle. Needless to say, none of us are quite sure what happened to him after that. What about your family?"

"I thought _I _was the one asking the questions," I deflected. When he wouldn't stop staring at me, I sighed. "It's pretty small, really. Just me and my mom… and Aunt Rhonda, but she's crazy and I don't see her much," I forced a laugh. Thinking about my mom was hard.

"Don't worry. Having a big family isn't all it's cracked up to be sometimes," his voice seemed calmer now, but I was too busy looking at my feet to check on his expression.

"I don't know about that. I'd love to have a sibling," I said. "Sharing that bond with someone? Seeing them go through all of life's biggest moments? I can't even imagine a relationship like that." I bit the inside of my cheek. All the family talk was making me remember how alone I was.

Zeph huffed. "It sounds great when you put it that way. Mostly, having a younger sibling is them threatening to tell on you and plotting how they're going to re-do your room when you go to college." As he spoke, I tried to imagine what it would be like to have a brother or sister. It seemed fun, even if they just bothered you all the time. "I wouldn't change a thing. My grandma and my sister got me through some pretty tough times."

After a pause I was able to get my selfish thoughts out of the forefront of my mind. I smiled up at him. "They must be pretty proud that you got accepted here."

He lit up. "You bet! My grandma has always had these grand ideas for my life, you know? She wants me to become a Tide Specialist like my grandpa."

"Like… ocean tides? Or like the laundry soap?"

He laughed. "Ocean tides. My grandpa was a real hero. Once, he saved a whole coastal village from extinction!" Suddenly, his chipper demeanour fell through. "I don't want to disappoint my grandma, but… I don't think I'll ever be a good enough Attuned to do something like that."

"Isn't that what school is for?" I asked. "Aren't we all here to learn how to be the best Attuned we can be? This is exactly the time to put in the work to achieve your goals, whatever those are."

He smiled again, making me feel accomplished. "Yeah, I guess you're right. For now, I'm just glad to be here, figuring it all out."

I noticed the greenhouse just ahead. "Looks like your time is up," he chuckled. "I only wish I had more time to ask _you_ some things. You seem chalked full of juicy secrets."

I bit my cheek. "Me? I'm as open as they come. No closet hiding for me," I joked, doing a Michael Jackson-esk twirl. I was lying, obviously, but I took pride in the fact that I was a pretty good liar.

"Is that so? Mind if I ask you a question then?" he raised a brow, crossing his arms.

I bit the inside of my cheek again. "Shoot."

"Why did you come through the lake instead of the Hall of Mirrors?"

I let out a sigh, knowing I'd have to tell him. "Zeph, if I tell you something, you can't tell _anyone_, alright?"

His brows pinched. "Yeah, of course, but you're kind of worrying me a little, Sky."

I pulled him away from the door to the other side of the pathway. After taking a deep breath, I told him about everything that had happened since I'd left the university the morning before. "I was in Toronto yesterday morning and now I'm here, and I'm going off the deep end because I can't do magic, but then, guess what? Turns out I can!" I felt my shoulders fall. It felt good to get that off my chest, but his reaction was a little less than favourable at first.

His jaw was dropped from the quick overload of information. "Woah, but… how did you get here? Someone _has_ to know there's been a mistake or something, right?"

"That's what I've been wondering, but I have a room here that's linked to my genetic make-up or something and I can suddenly do magic. I'm starting to think it wasn't a mistake after all and that somebody wanted me here," I babbled.

"That's super spooky!" his jaw was still on the ground. "I can't believe all of that happened in the last twenty-four hours."

I took another big breath. "Talking about this is such a relief. Shreya was way too casual when I told her about this. I was _freaking out_ yesterday."

"Rightly so!" he agreed. "Even in the magical world, that's a pretty weird origin story, but don't worry. I'll help you figure this out," he patted my shoulder.

"Thanks. I'm going to need all the help I can get. But," I paused and looked around before looking him square in the eyes, "you won't tell anyone, right?"

He did an X motion across his chest. "Cross my heart and really, really hope not to die, because I'm too young, gorgeous, and witty." His smile made me laugh. He clapped his hands together and rubbed them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go get told that I'm a Water-Att." He held up a finger, like this would only take a minute, and it really didn't take long at all. Within twenty minutes, he was skipping out of the door with a wide grin. "Well, surprise, surprise. I passed with flying colours! By which I mean I'm a Water-Att." He patted my shoulder again. "You're up!"

I froze. "Oh… thanks…" My stomach was in knots. I took a deep breath and stepped into the greenhouse. The entire room was filled with plants. Even the tables were covered. The glass was misted over and, in some places, cracked by vines growing up through the roof in the corners. Most of the plants were brightly coloured, some even gold or silver. "Woah… we have classes in here?"

"You most certainly will," a deep voice from the far side said. I looked to see the satyr man, Professor Kontos, standing next to a desk, well covered in vines. "Please, sit. Don't worry, this test will come as naturally to you as magic itself," he gestured towards the seat in front of him as he took his own. _Great… because that's pretty easy._ As soon as I sat down, he leaned in quite close to examine my features, like he was searching my face for some clue of my existence. "Your presence is certainly strong. The strongest I've felt in… quite a long while," he thought for a moment before sitting back up with a smile. "Yes, your potential must be fairly high." He clapped his large hands together, which startled me. "Now, just relax."

"I'm doing my best, sir," I said tensely.

He laughed with a slight bleat, which made me smile a bit. "Pardon me," he cleared his throat. "I'm going to ask you a series of questions. Close your eyes and answer as honestly as you can."

I closed my eyes and listened to his voice as he spoke. He asked a series of seemingly irrelevant questions. It was clearly a personality test styled exam. After about six or seven questions, he asked one more, sounding a bit shocked by my results. When I opened my eyes, he was resting his head on his knuckles and staring passed my head, deep in thought.

"Hmm… This is quite interesting. Very interesting indeed," he spoke lowly to himself. "But if that's the case…," his brows shot up over his round glasses.

"Um… Sir?" I asked, trying to remind him that I was still there and proper confused.

"Hm? Ah, yes. I just need a moment to…," he stood abruptly and turned to dig through the books on the shelves behind him. He flung open a few books, rustled through some drawers, and sniffed a random potion before… "Aha!"

I jumped again. "Is… is something wrong?"

He beamed down at me. "No, no. Certainly not. Just a bit unusual. Give me a second to check," he pulled out a small golden book from a shelf then slammed it open on his desk, running his fingers down a page. Finally, he looked up at me, a sparkle in his eyes. "I have a suspicion about you, Skyler," he said with a grin. "I'll just need one last test to be sure. Is that alright?"

"I guess so," I shrugged nervously.

He pulled a small, silver pitch pipe from the top drawer of his desk and handed it to me. "Stand, please," he said, standing with me. He pulled a pair of goggles from his desk as well and slipped them on over his eyes. "Now, when you're ready, blow."

I lifted the pitch pipe to my lips, taking a deep breath before pushing air through it. With a shrill tweet, a window across the room shattered, making me jump and almost drop the pipe. A gust of wind wrapped around me, making my blazer flap in the breeze as it grew stronger and stronger. The gale upended a table and pulled the dirt up from the floor, throwing it all around the greenhouse. As crazy and hectic as it was, I felt pure serenity.

"As expected," Professor Kontos beamed as he fought against the whirlwind pushing him backwards. He took the pan flute from his belt and played a four swift notes, making my little cyclone rewind until it retreated out the window it had come through, fixing the glass and everything. "Perfect. Marvellous, actually. Absolutely astounding," he muttered to himself as he took the pipe from me. I took my seat again, completely in awe of what I'd just done.

"Professor… what was all that?" I asked.

"It's just… well, you have no idea, do you?" he chuckled to himself.

"About what?" I pleaded. "Please, sir. You're starting to freak me out a bit…"

He sat back into his chair and stared at me, that sparkle still in his eyes and an excited smile curling up under his moustache. "You, my dear boy, are Sun-Attuned."

"And that's good?" I assumed, sensing his glee.

He laughed again, the bleat heavier than the first time. "Yes, very good! And that's not all. You're also Attuned to Air. It truly is astounding. Your potential is so high that it was difficult for me to get a clear reading."

"What do you mean by my 'potential'?" I tried to concentrate on his words, soaking in as much knowledge as I could.

He pointed to a poster behind him on the wall. It had various sizes of teacups. "Imagine that inside of you is a teacup, and imagine that the tea inside is magic," he began. "Some have a small teacup, 'less capacity' is the official term, while those with a larger capacity have a bigger cup, like the one here," he pointed between the two sizes, the latter looking more like a coffee mug than a teacup.

"So… you're saying I have a larger teacup," I simplified, trying to understand.

He beamed again. "Something like that. By my estimation, your 'teacup' looks something closer to this," he stood up and walked to the sink. When he came back, he slammed a large ale tankard onto the desk. This mug looked like it was made for a small giant, but with him being large in stature, it didn't surprise me that this was his glass size.

"So… I have a ton of potential and two Attunements? What does that even mean?" I asked, confused, bewildered, flabbergasted, and all other synonyms in the thesaurus.

He sat back down he leaned towards me. "It _means_, Mr. Dietz, that you might be one of the most powerful Attuned persons to ever grace these halls," he said bluntly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: An Explanation, Please

I was still sitting in the greenhouse with Professor Kontos. He'd just told me that I could be super powerful in a world I'd never been to before. I was rightfully freaking out.

"Th-that can't be right. Lots of people have two Attunements, right?" I asked, not thinking of myself at all in the light he put me in.

"It's certainly not uncommon, but it's your _potential_ that's really astounding," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up having a third Attunement at some point in your life."

I gave him a puzzled look. "You mean one might just appear someday?"

He nodded. "It's not a perfect science, Mr. Dietz. Sometimes the readings are wrong, and sometimes Attuned grow into new powers over time." He pointed to another poster behind him. It was a chart of the elements: Sun and Moon on top; Wood and Metal just below; and Earth, Water, Air, and Fire on their own line at the bottom. "Generally speaking, an attuned at each tier will also gain an element from the tier below. Traditionally, second tier Attuned will have two specialties. For example, a Wood-Att may also have a mastery of Water."

"But… a Water-Att couldn't have a secondary, because there's no tier below them?" I inquired.

"Correct," he grinned. I looked back at the poster. Sun and Moon had a line connecting them and almost looked like they should have had something above even that, but nothing was there. "With practice and careful study, you could very well discover that you are even stronger than you currently appear to be."

I leaned all the way back in the chair and let out a deep breath, trying to process everything I'd just learnt about myself. "Wow, this doesn't seem real… That one person could be so powerful, I mean. And even more insane is that that person is _me_," I looked down at my hands, thinking of how much damage I could do and how many people would get hurt. It was a horrifying though.

He put his hands together in a diamond shape and looked me over, seeming to gauge my reaction. "You are rare _and_ powerful. Two components coveted by the wicked. Do me a favour, though, won't you, Mr. Dietz?"

I sat back up. "What's that, sir?"

"Remember," his eyes met mine with a strange intensity, "goodness rarely stands alone." He didn't look away for quite a while, his eyes piercing mine over his round glasses. After a minute more, he turned back to his desk, pulling out a sheet of paper and a pen. He wrote my name then the words "Sun Attunement." Completely on its own, the paper filled itself in with times and class information. "It seems you've got a bit of time before your first class. It's never too early to start studying!" he beamed as he handed me my schedule.

While I agreed, I had to object. "Wait, that's it? I feel like there's still so much I don't know!" I took the paper and stared down at it. I didn't understand half of the class names, but I guessed I'd figure it out.

"I'd be happy to answer your questions before my next appointment arrives," Professor Kontos offered.

"Oh, thank you, Professor. I'll try to be quick," I sat straight up and tried to get my thoughts settled.

He glanced at what I assumed was a clock on the wall, but it was a constellation map with a moon lazily flitting about. "I don't have long, but what little time I do have is yours. What is it that you want to know?"

I took a second to choose my words. "The thing is, sir, I was never… good at magic growing up. We didn't talk about Attunements and stuff in my family, so this is all a bit new to me."

He nodded. "Some families emphasize Attunements more to their children than others. Not knowing yours is by no means a pitfall. You're not alone, Mr. Dietz. For many first years, this is their first formal exposure to the Attunement system."

I let out a sigh of relief, then thought about my next question. "I think I did some Sun magic the other day, but I wasn't _trying_ to do anything. I have no idea how it happened or what it means or… anything… So, I was wondering, what kind of magic is easiest for me?"

"I'm sure you can make an educated guess there," he smiled.

"Magic that involves sunlight?"

"Correct. Spells related to warmth should come to you naturally, and you'll have an easier grasp over spells performed during daylight hours," he explained. "Your second Attunement also makes performing Air spells easier. Fire spells should come easily to you as well."

"That's sure going to come in handy," I smiled for the first time since I'd sat down. "So, what magic will I need to study more to be adequate at?"

He was quiet for a second. "Sun-Atts often find it more strenuous to preform magic at night, though, it varies with the difficulty of the spells themselves. Some elements typically associated with 'coolness,' such as Water and Metal, can also give Sun-Atts trouble."

"That doesn't mean I'll suck at them, will I?" I asked, a bit disappointed because metal and water are very _cool_.

He bleated lightly. "An Attuned does not 'suck' at any kind of magic because magic is a core part of you," he said, grinning. "The difficulty comes from learning how to channel it. But that's why you're at school, is it not? To figure out your relationship with the magical energy residing within you."

I nodded. "This magical energy and I have a lot of catching up to do, that's for sure." I thought of my next question carefully. "How _do_ I study my Attunement? Could you teach me a sun spell right now?" I asked excitedly.

He let out a larger laugh. "I'm afraid I cannot. You'll be taking specialized lessons with Professor Swan, the Sun-Att advisor, later in the year."

"So, Professor Swan will teach me all the good stuff? Like how to keep the sun from setting and creating endless summers?" I joked, half wondering if that was even possible.

He chuckled again. "Professor Swan will instruct you in how to tap into your magical potential. That involves directing it, strengthening it, and so forth. As for endless summers, those may be beyond what any one Attuned would be capable of. All summers must end."

I felt more relaxed listening to him laugh. "What does being a Sun-Att mean about me as a person?"

He thought for a moment. "Well, it would be a little over-simplistic to say that all Sun-Atts are characterized by the same set of traits, but you will often hear that Sun-Atts have an optimistic outlook on life, are very loyal, and are skilled at getting people to work together."

"Does being a Sun-Att mean I can boost people's moods as well?" I asked half-jokingly. "I know that's how Vitamin D works…"

He grinned widely. "That is something one hears about Sun-Atts, yes. Sun-Atts are quite sensitive to their environments and tend to thrive only in the ones that are right for them," he said. "Oftentimes, Sun-Atts need to find their niche in order to bloom to their full potential."

I took a second to think about that answer. _It would explain a lot, really._ "Professor, how rare _is_ the Sun Attunement?"

"It is rather rare," he nodded to himself. "Having a rarer Attunement gives you a higher innate potential for magic in general, which simply means you should have an easier time grasping the elements below yours on the diagram."

I looked down at my hands again, remembering the burst of energy from the night before. "It's weird thinking that I have this much… power… inside me… but it definitely makes me feel pretty cool," I smiled, balling my fists excitedly. "Thank you, sir, for all the information, but I have another question. The secondary Attunement, could you tell me more about that?"

"Air-Atts are most known for their innovation," his eyes softened. "Their enthusiasm and curiosity can often result in a mischievous nature. These attuned have strategic minds, but their inability to make decisions can hinder their plans," he gave an almost textbook reply. "Despite being quite social, Air-Atts often feel removed from those around them. Remember not to isolate yourself."

My jaw dropped. "I… I feel like an open book."

"Don't worry, Mr. Dietz. Learning your Attunement is only the first step in the puzzle of Attuned magic!" he beamed and leaned back in his chair. "The ability to do magic is innate, and all Attuned have at least one Attunement because your potential needs a way to be channelled. Attunements are why some Attuned have an easier time with Fire magic, or Water magic, or whichever element or elements they favour."

"So, all Attunements are just the natural ways your magical potential manifests itself," I summarised.

He nodded. "Now, the _why_ behind this manifestation is still poorly understood. Most theorists believe Attunement relates to the way numerous cultures tie elements to personality traits," he said. "This is why Attunement testing asks students to respond to questions and scenarios quickly and honestly, without time for overthinking."

I put my hand to my chin. "That makes sense. The magic I performed happened when I needed it, not because I was trying to make it happen." A knock on the door broke my concentration. A red-faced boy was peeking his head through the glass. "Wait, Professor, I have one more quick question," I sat at the end of my chair. "I was wondering, what's your Attunement, Professor?"

He grinned again, standing from his chair. I did the same and slowly followed him to the door. "Well, as a satyr, I don't have an Attunement the same way you do."

"So how do you channel your magic?"

"Channelling innate magical potential through elements is useful for humans because elements have been a cornerstone of human culture," he said. "Satyrs are heavily tied to our natural surroundings, living in the mountains or forests, so we have different methods of channelling our magic, and while not all humans are Attuned, all satyrs have innate magical potential."

"That's so cool," I beamed, loving this lesson.

"Yes, and our magic is performed musically," he looked as excited as I was. "We tend to channel our power using pan flutes and we have more success this way."

"So, your spells are usually accompanied with music? That sounds extra magical to me," I could feel the giddiness bubbling up in me. I wanted to see satyr magic.

"This is why I don't teach Spellwork courses, but more natural disciplines instead," he explained. The boy knocked again, a bit harder this time. "Well, it looks like our time is up. I hope your inquisitive mind isn't going to make you late for your next class."

I looked down at my schedule quickly. "Don't worry, sir. I have plenty of time. Thank you for answering all my questions, Professor. I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time."

His grin was warm and wide. "Not at all. Thank you for asking. I look forward to having you in class, Mr. Dietz."

"Me, too," I grinned before dodging around the red boy and running excitedly up the hill back to the foyer. I was so excited, in fact, that I ran right into Griffin when I burst through the doors. "Sorry!"

"Hey! There he is!" he held his hands out to stabilise me. "How'd the exam go?"

"Amazing! I-," I started, but was cut off by a loud voice.

"Skyler!" rang from across the hall. Zeph ran down the stairs to us, Shreya lagging behind him by a meter or so. When he got to us, he froze. "You… You're Griffin Langley… A second year and the Thief team's star player!" he bounced. "I'm Zeph, short for Zephyr." His eyes were filled with stars as he took Griffings hand and shook it wildly.

Griffin laughed. "Nice to meet you."

"Yes, yes, we're all friends now. Blah, blah," Shreya finally got to us and immediately took my hands in hers, jumping with excitement as much as Zeph was for Griffin. "So? What's the verdict?"

"I'm… I'm a Sun-Att," I stuttered. For almost a minute, nobody said anything. Three sets of eyes burned into me, making me blush with embarrassment.

"You're a _SUN-ATT_?" Griffin barely got out, a look of pure disbelief on his face.

I nodded. "Yeah, and apparently an Air-Att, too, I guess."

Griffin let out a low, impressed whistle. "Two Attunements, huh?"

I beamed up at him. "I know! I can barely believe it myself, especially since I didn't even know I _was_ Attuned… I mean, that I was such a powerful Attuned," I quickly saved myself from having to explain my origins all over again.

"You are seriously the first Sun-Att I've ever met in my _whole life_," Zeph's fangirling switched from Griffin to me in a sadly scarce amount of time.

"Kontos even said I may end up having a third one day," the thought made me nervous, but burn with excitement.

"Oh, man. Being a third tier must be so cool! I'm so jealous!" Zeph huffed.

"It's really not that impressive," I said, not wanting to think of myself in that kind of spotlight, but kind of seeing where it might come from. I was pretty fabulous, if I do say so myself.

Shreya lightly hit my shoulder. "Nonsense, Sky! Sun and Moon-Atts are just about as powerful as they come. Well, as powerful as you _can_ be these days."

"Your friend's right," Griffin chimed in. "It's pretty damn cool. Don't be so modest."

"I'm just glad we're through all that," Zeph finally got his natural giddiness back. "Not that there was ever any question of what mine would be, but it's still kind of nerve-wracking."

"Now that we're done with placements, who's ready for class?" I beamed. "I seriously cannot wait to learn my first spell." I looked between the three of them, but all I got were head shakes.

"Nuh-uh, no way! We've got a couple more hours before we're slaves to the curriculum for a whole year," Griffin objected. "We've gotta enjoy it while we can!"

"I agree!" Zeph piped up. "We should celebrate getting our official Attunements!"

"I'm sure a toned, impressive second year like Griffin here has better things to do than hang with a group of first years," Shreya popped Zeph's bubble.

Griffin pursed his lips for a second. "This might make me sound kind of lame, but I really don't. What did you have in mind?"

"Ooh, what about that new Mysterium in Penn Square?" she suggested eagerly. "There was an article about it in the last issue of _Fyre_, and I've been dying to check it out."

I shrugged. "I don't know, guys. Shouldn't we use this time to study or something?" I suggested, thinking that I was in way over my head and really needed a head start. Shreya and Zeph shared a look before they rushed me, each grabbing an arm as they dragged me out of the building without saying a word. "Hey!" I objected.

"Sky, what could you possibly need to know before the very first class of the year?" Shreya rolled her eyes jokingly.

"Well," I started, knowing I could list a few things.

"Come on, live a little! You won't regret it," Griffin helped push me from behind as I was dragged to the dorm.

After a bit more coaxing, they got me to Penn Square. I was still a bit ruffled, but I was going to go along with it. "So, where is this 'Mysterium'?"

"I'm pretty sure it's somewhere behind that wall of people over there," Zeph pointed at a line that seemed to wind around two blocks.

"Well, there goes that idea," Griffin sighed, defeated.

Shreya flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Never mind the line, my dear friends. Follow me," she waved to us over her shoulder as she walked towards and _passed_ all the people in line, making an A line for the bouncer.

"Line's back there, kids," he said. He was wearing thick bronze-plated armour with a bull's head for a helmet.

Shreya flashed her money-winning grin. "I think you'll find that my friends and I are in the right place," she said confidently.

"I'm sure the people in line behind you would disagree," he said, sounding angry. Behind us, whispers of what was going on were beginning to spread. I heard the name Mistry dropped quite a few times.

"And I'm _sure_ your boss would be _very_ displeased to hear you turned Shreya Mistry away at the door," she retorted.

In an instant, his demeanour changed. "Mistry? Excuse me, Miss, of course," he said, bowing and moving out of the way. Shreya strutted passed, but we were blocked again.

"As for the rest of you, I'm afraid I can't let you in," he said.

"What? But-," Zeph tried to object, but he was too nice to pull it off.

"You've got to let us in!" Griff shouted.

"Yeah? And why's that?" the angry bouncer took a step towards him, posturing.

"We're her business partners," I took a step up and looked the bull-man in the eyes.

He huffed. "Oh really?" not believing us at all.

"Yeah, we're here… for a business meeting," Griffin looked at me, trying to go along with my lie.

I smirked. "We're looking for up and coming businesses, like this Mysterium, for franchising opportunities, but if we really can't enter…," I trailed off, acting annoyed. I crossed my arms and tapped my foot impatiently.

He looked between the crowd, us, and the irritated Shreya Mistry behind him. Finally, he moved aside. "Have a nice time, Miss Mistry," he said curtly.

"Thank you, I'm sure we will," she whipped her hair sassily before looping her arm with mine and strutted into the building.

I narrowed my eyes at the bouncer. "Wise decision," I spoke lowly as I passed him, but when I got out of earshot, I couldn't help but laugh.

"What was that?" Griffin pulled my shoulder back when he caught up to us. I wasn't sure if he was irritated or impressed.

"It worked, didn't it?" I shrugged with a laugh.

The room in front of us was _grand_. It had a similar architecture to that of the palaces in the Middle East, with intricately decorated hanging lanterns and ornate, plush cushions on the floor surrounding small, golden, round tables. Each table was crowded, and a lingering orange smoke filled the air.

"I can't believe you actually did that," Zeph was on my other shoulder.

"Seriously, Skyler. He totally bought it," Griffin laughed.

I beamed. "What can I say? I've conned my way into a few heavily guarded clubs before," I posed proudly.

"Have you really?" Zeph asked, starstruck.

I nodded. "You bet your ass. Nothing is more fun than sneaking into a club and getting hot guys to buy you free drinks," I winked. Shreya flagged us over when the hostess began leading her to a table in the corner. "This place is so cool." When we were seated at the table, I looked over at the table next to us. They were clustered around a lantern they'd pulled down. As they lit it, white smoke-filled bubbles began to surround them until I couldn't see them anymore. "So _this_ is a Mysterium? A place where the lanterns make bubbles?"

Griffin laughed. "They don't just make bubbles. They're all laced with potions that have different effects!"

"I went to one once and the smoke from our lantern played out an entire Shakespeare play," Zeph said. Three lanterns drifted down towards us, one green, another blue, and the last one grey.

"Sky, since it's your first time, you choose," Shreya nudged me with her elbow.

"Uh, okay, but how do I know which one to pick?" I asked, not sure if you could tell by colour.

"You don't!" Zeph bounced in his seat. "That's why it's called a Mysterium!"

"Um, I guess…," I grabbed the green one and it settled itself onto the table. Shreya lit it with a pinch of her fingers. "Here goes nothing," I took a deep breath as _vines_ burst out of the lantern, each dotted with an assortment of flower buds. "Woah!" Within seconds, the Mysterium was gone and we were all standing in a wooded area, surrounded by vines. I was about to panic, but the blooming rose buds were so beautiful. Every time one opened, it would let out an instrument sound. After they were all opened, it sounded like a mini-symphony.

"Oh, I love this song!" Griffin gushed next to me.

"No! We need something more upbeat!" Zeph smiled mischievously. "Watch this!" he bent down to one of the flowers and started humming something. The bud he sang to slowly changed its tune and, eventually, the others caught on.

"Let's dance!" Shreya took my hands and spun me under her arm. Griffin kept a beat on his legs and Zeph started swinging his arms like a conductor. It was a lot of fun.

After a while, the illusion faded and we were sitting back on the cushions in the Mysterium. Zeph was still flailing his arms and Shreya was still dancing around.

"That was awesome. Great idea coming here, Shreya," Griffin laughed. "Should we get another one?"

"Actually," Shreya sat back down and leaned forward on the table. "I think it's about time we got to know the mysterious upperclassman sweet, innocent Skyler has so hastily befriended." I snorted. The glint in her eye was sly. "How about a game of Snaps?"

"Oh, yes! I am so in," Zeph agreed as soon as he heard the word.

I put my hand up to ask a question. "And this game entails…?"

Griffin rolled his eyes. "It's basically an easy way to con people into telling you their deepest and darkest secrets," he explained.

Shreya waved him off. "He's being dramatic. Basically, on the count of three, you snap an element and the winner gets to ask the losers any question they want."

"Right," I gave her a look. "Snap… an element…"

Zeph stuck his hand out to me. "Here, watch." He gestured for the other two to join him. "Ready? One, two, three… Snap!" The three of them snapped their fingers all at once. A swirling ball of air appeared in both Griffin and Zephyr's palms. Shreya's palm had a mini-fireball.

"Ha! Fire always wins!" she gloated.

I was wide-eyed. "How… does that…," but before my question could be answered, Shreya jumped straight in, clearly having a goal.

"Now, what to ask," she thought for a moment. "I'm coming up short… Sky, you ask something. Make it juicy."

On the spot, I said the first thing that came to mind. "Okay then. Griff, Zeph, what are you most self-conscious of?"

Zeph leaned back, slapping the table lightly. "Oof. Really going for the jugular, huh?"

"Hey, Griffin said 'deepest and darkest'," I shrugged.

Griffin tapped his thumb to his chin. "I guess for me, I'd have to say my work ethic. If I think people feel like I'm slacking off, it makes me really uncomfortable."

"Well, I don't know you that well, but I'd think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who'd say you were a slacker," Shreya looked shocked. "I mean, look at your muscle definition!" she leaned close to him and poked his biceps, making him laugh.

"Agreed," I rested my chin on my hand and watched as my roommate invaded his space.

"Excuse them," Zeph rolled his eyes. "They've got no filter and a natural disposition to flirt."

"What about you, Zeph?" I turned my attention to him. He squirmed uncomfortably. "You don't have to hell us if you don't want to…"

"No, it's going to come out sometime. Might as well get ahead of it," he sighed, leaning closer to the table. "I have… one really short toe," he said, looking deeply ashamed. We all froze for a moment then exploded into laughter. "Guys, I'm serious. I can't even wear sandals!"

When she was able to breathe again, Shreya asked, "Should we go for another round? I feel like there's still so much to learn about Griffin."

"It'll have to be another time," he said, wiping away a single tear. "As much fun as it's been hanging out with you guys, I really gotta jet."

"You're leaving? But there's still time before class," I cocked my head, curious where he'd be off to after dragging me all the way out here.

He beamed. "Oh, I know. There's this nearby waterfall I wanted to check out before I really have to buckle down for school."

Shreya started gathering her things as well. "And _I_ just looked it up and saw that Du Monte's Mineral Spring and Resculpt has some openings this afternoon! I have to get a touch up."

"Do you think your street cred stretches far enough that they won't kick me out the second you leave?" Zeph asked, looking nervously around.

"They wouldn't dare, dear Zephyr," she gave him a reassuring smirk.

"Then I know where I'm staying!" he grinned.

"What about you, Skyler?" Griffin asked as he and Shreya stood up. "I wouldn't mind the company if you'd like to come along."

Shreya rolled her eyes. "Ugh, that sounds sweaty. Why not come with me? They could probably schedule us both in, and you deserve to relax before classes start." She threw her back over her shoulder. "They have so many resculpts to choose from, and you would look so cute with a dimple in your chin."

I gave her a questioning look. "Do I look like a boy who'd pass up a spa day?"

She smirked. "Excellent. I'll call ahead and book our appointment." Within seconds, she was talking into a compact mirror she'd pulled from her purse.

"Are you sure you want to resculpt your face?" Griffin before I followed her out.

I shrugged. "I don't know about that, but any excuse to get worked on is a good excuse to me. I like being pampered," I stuck my tongue out playfully.

Griffin laughed. "Okay then. Have fun."

"I'll see you guys later," Zeph said as he reached for the grey lantern.

I followed Shreya a few blocks away to a small wooden building covered in bamboo shoots. "If this isn't relaxing, I don't know what is."

"Just wait until you get inside," Shreya smirked before strutting into the establishment. It didn't take long before we were escorted into a private room with massage tables, a sauna, and a jacuzzi. On the far wall, a bouquet of glowing purple flowers sat next to what looked like a phonograph. The music it played made all my stress disappear in moments.

I put my hand to my chest dramatically. "I must have died and gone to heaven."

She took a deep breath and let out a happy sigh. "Smell that lavender. I feel relaxed already! It's been weeks since my last treatment." She glanced at me. "So, have you decided on your treatment yet? I'm torn between a Radiance Infusion and a Strand Tarping. There's a menu on the table over there, if you want to look it over," she said, setting her purse down on a table near the far bed.

I picked up the brochure and began reading through the services. "Some of this stuff sounds excessive, and that's coming from me. Tongue shrinking? Why does anyone need that?"

"Everyone has something they don't like about themselves, Sky," she said simply.

I turned and raised my brow at her. "Everyone?" I asked. "What don't you like about yourself?"

She smirked. "Well, there's very little physically, of course, but the one thing a spa can't fix is your disposition. I guess, sometimes I'd like to be more accommodating."

"Well, they do say that the first step is self-awareness," I teased.

She pursed her lips at me then tapped her finger to her chin thoughtfully. "I think I'll go with the Radiance Infusion. Hopefully they don't mess it up. Last time they mixed the wrong shades, and I had a sickly green glow for days."

I read over the menu a bit more. "Subtle Lengthening… makes you at least three inches taller… Well, that could come in handy for certain rendezvous."

"I've done that one before. You do shrink back to your original height eventually, but it is _incredibly _relaxing," she mused as she began to shed her blouse and skirt.

"So, the Radiance Infusion replaces toxins with a 'warming inner glow'," I continued.

"The glow only lasts for about a week, but it's totally worth it," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Pedal Sanding?" I asked, then read the description. "Oh, so it's a pedicure and foot massage that temporarily cures the naturally clumsy. That's a good option," I bit my lip, knowing I could probably use a bit of help in that department.

"Oh, that's a classic! It makes you totally unable to trip, which comes very much in handy when you're constantly dodging the tabloids," she looked down at her nails, inspecting her cuticles like what she'd said was just an everyday issue.

"That sounds… really nice, actually. I think I'll do the Pedal Sanding," I decided, turning to take my place on the other massage bed, wrapped in nothing but a towel by the time the techs came in.

"Now, just relax and let the technicians do their magic," Shreya giggled. "No pun intended."

I was told to lie on my back while an older woman rubbed a grey cream over my feet. After a few seconds, it hardened like a resin. She pulled out what looked like a mix between a sander and a buffer and began chipping away at the mould. The vibrations were strangely relaxing. I leaned my head back against the soft pillow and let her work. After a while, my feet were free, and she began rubbing them with oil. "This is heaven…" When she was done with my feet, I received a full body massage, something I hadn't had since my mother and I would go to the spa in downtown Toronto together. It had been almost two years. While the tension was kneaded out of my shoulders, I drifted in and out of a trance-like state, thinking about my mother and how happy she used to be, how radiant her smile was when I'd get home from school.

After an hour or so of non-stop pampering, we were left alone again. I sat up to see Shreya glowing like a soft nightlight in the dim room. She sighed happily. "Much better," she whispered, taking a few deep and calming breaths.

"I'm so glad you brought me. This was wonderful," I felt as relaxed as she looked. When I stood, my feet didn't hurt at all. I felt lighter. Shreya looked me over appraisingly then took my hand and spun me in circles like I was getting ready to hit a piñata. I twirled like a dancer and did a little bow at the end.

"Marvellous! As graceful as a lion on the prowl," she giggled.

I laughed, too. "I can't wait to test it out. When we get back, I'm skipping up the foyer steps."

"Are you ready for the piece de resistance?" she asked, leading me over to a large tub on the far wall. "I love coming here because their after-treatment tubs have the widest range of options I've ever seen," she beamed, fiddling with the knobs on the wall above the faucet. "In no other place could I take a rose water and Skrag salt back with a lemonquelt vapour and steam melt. Not even in Prague."

"I have to admit, this is a bit over my head," I bit my cheek. "The spas I'm used to usually just have a massage table and sauna."

"Don't worry, love. You're in good hands. Let the master work," she smiled proudly. As she turned the knobs, rose-coloured water, salt rocks the size of diamonds, and a breathy smoke poured out into the bath. The last knob she turned filled the room with a yellow fog that smelt of lemonade. "Et, voila! My greatest concoction. Come, come. Give it a try," she motioned for me to get into the tub. She climbed in effortlessly, sinking down to her chin. I was a bit slower, but eventually did the same.

"What is this? I feel so serene."

"That's the lemonquelt vapour at work," she sighed. "It allows you to fully relax, while the Skrag salt harshens the water to open your pores, and the steam melt saps them," she explained. "You'll come out of this bath with skin so smooth you could ice skate on it."

I chuckled. "So, what's the rose water for?"

"It's pink! And it smells good!" she cheered, resting her head against the ledge. "I pitched it to m parents once. You know, make large batches, bottle it as bath soaps and tabs for our line of health and beauty products, but they didn't go for it."

"Really?" I asked. "Why not? It seems to work."

She shrugged and stared at the ceiling. "They thought it was me being silly. 'Shreya, quit playing with that makeup. Learn the numbers first, make a real presentation first, blah, blah'," she mocked. "The sad thing was, I did. I ran the numbers, and we would have turned a profit."

"It sounds like a great business opportunity. They'd be crazy to pass it up," I tucked my arms under the water. "Try running it by them again. They'll have to listen eventually."

She smiled. "I appreciate the vote of confidence, Sky. You're sweet. I just don't understand how they expect me to take over the family business if they never let me do things _my_ way," she pursed her lips. "Not that I want to run the company, necessarily."

"It sounds like you at least have ideas for what you would do if you _did_ take over," I tried to be comforting. "That's got to show them you're at least putting in the effort."

She beamed. "I'd start with a total redesign of the logo and brand. Brand recognition is important, of course, but the original logo is so drab," she mused, sinking just a bit further into the water. "We'd need something fresher, younger, more hip, and sexy. Then we'd expand the beauty line. Once revenues were up from that commercial success, we'd refocus on the arcane technologies department."

"Okay, you've given this more thought than I gave you credit for," I smirked. "How are you not in charge already?"

She waved her hand nonchalantly. "I just have a knack for it, that's all. But I wouldn't want to limit myself to a stuffy old office job."

"So, what _do_ you want to do?"

She pursed her lips again. "Oh, I don't know. Eat fine cuisine across the world, create my own shoe line, find someone special to share it with. That sort of thing."

"Maybe you'll find that someone at Penderghast," I shrugged. Before she could respond, the clock on the wall let out a low whistle, like a kettle about to boil over. I sat up. "What's that?"

She frowned. "Just the sound of our hour being up. Time to leave heaven behind and head back into reality."

I matched her expression. "What a bummer," I sank down into the tub, blowing bubbles just under the water. She giggled, the radiant glow only adding to how happy she looked. "Thanks for bringing me. I wish we could stay longer."

"Next time we'll make a whole day of it, deal?" she stood and offered me a hand.

"Deal," I smiled, taking her hand.

After we were dried and dressed, we made our way back to campus and split up for our classes. My first class was Spellwork 1A with Professor Englund. I slid into the first open seat I saw, which just so happened to be next to one Beckett Harrington.

He scoffed as soon as he saw me. "Oh, it's you again. The _Sun_-Att. How _impressive_," he spat.

I turned to him, narrowing my eyes a bit. "What's your problem?" then it hit me. "And how did you know I was a Sun-Att?"

He rolled his eyes. "I have my sources. It's amazing what you can learn from the professors during their free hours," he looked me up and down. "You don't look very impressive to me."

"Excuse me, and you are?" I raised my eyebrow at him, completely unimpressed by his whole act.

"Like you don't know," he rolled his eyes again, but when he saw that I really had no clue, his jaw nearly fell off. "I'm… Beckett _Harrington_," he stressed his surname, but that didn't make any difference to me. _What is with the famous people on this campus? So many names to keep up with…_

"Excuse me!" a tall, dark-skinned man with a round face and a fancy necktie stood in the center of the lecture hall. "I'm trying to start class here." Just then, I realised how loud we were. I pressed my lips closed and turned back to my notebook with a warm face, avoiding Rich-pants McGee's glare. "In this class, you'll learn to preform basic spells based on the eight practical elements: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Metal, Wood, Sun, and Moon. Can anyone tell me where our ability to perform magic stems from? How about our late-comer? Mister…?"

"Dietz, sir," I sat up straight. "Skyler Dietz." I collected my thoughts quickly and said, "Our magic ability is innate. It's something that we're born with that we have to learn to focus."

Professor Englund grinned up at me. "Wonderful! Perfectly worded. Very nice, Mr. Dietz."

"Skyler," I mumbled under my breath, slouching back into the bench. It's not that I hated my name or anything, but Mr. Dietz sounded so formal.

"Each of you was born with these abilities," he continued. "Though of course, the capacity for magic can differ from person to person." I noticed from the corner of my eye that the posh guy was shooting daggers at me. I leaned forward on the desk, using my arm to block him out while I took notes with my left hand. "Simply put, every person in this room has the ability to perform _most_ spells, however, the level of difficulty each Attuned can handle may differ. Now, let's not waste any more time! We'll start today by learning a simple spell, conjuring fire and bending it to our will." He rolled up his sleeves and shook his arms out with a flourish, reminding me of when my band instructor in secondary school would have us stretch out before we played.

"Finally. This is so cool," I mumbled, staring in awe at what the professor's next move would be.

"Could you keep it down?" Harrington hissed. I rolled my eyes and ignored him.

Englund closed his eyes and brought his palms together. "The first step, as always, is to _focus_. A lack of focus is the number one cause of spells going awry," he explained. "For the creation of fire, you'll need to imagine a light or heat source and some kindling. It's important to start with a strong, simple base. There's a reason we build up to more complex ideas. Mainly to-"

"To conserve magic and energy by using smaller pieces to achieve the same end," Harrington blurted out, making me embarrassed _for_ him. If I'd done that in school, I'd have gotten scolded. "It's the building block method. We were taught it as _children_," he stressed the word and shot me a pompous smirk.

"I love the enthusiasm, but I'm gonna need a hand next time, Mr. Harrington," the professor said. I snickered. "That is correct. Now, once we've focused and built our magical foundation," he snapped his fingers and a flame lit on his fingertip, like a candle wick. _Cool_. "Conjuring fire is a _snap_." I stared down the desks, biting my lip excitedly. "From there, controlling the flame is just a matter of controlling your breathing. I'll be coming around to check on you. Feel free to help each other, but remember, using offensive magic on another student is strictly prohibited."

I sat up straight and closed my eyes, clearing my thoughts and concentrating on my breathing. _Building blocks, building blocks, kindling…_ I thought about throwing logs on the fire back home with Mom. Streaks of light crossed my eyelids. I thought about the brown of the wood and latched onto it. I could feel a warmth coming from my core. Next was a heat source. I know I should have thought about matches or some kind of spark, but my first thought was of the sun. A golden streak sped across my vision, and I caught that in my mind, too, letting the streaks become one, the sun's heat blaring into the wood. It felt right. I snapped my fingers and opened my eyes. Sure enough, I had turned my finger into a living candle with a golden flame. _So cool!_ I couldn't keep myself from smiling. _Breathe… focus on your breath_.

"I guess that would be easy for you with _your_ Attunement," Beckett's red flame sputtered on his finger as he stared at the golden flame flickering at the tip of my forefinger. His eyes narrowed at me and, with a huff, he turned away, staring back down at his own flame. "This is child's play."

"Shush. I'm trying to concentrate," I scoffed and shook my head, clearing my thoughts. The flamed flickered on my finger, getting a bit larger than I'd intended. _Breathe!_

"Clearly," he rolled his eyes. I noticed his flame floating lazily above his head in a perfectly shaped sphere. _Ugh._ _Don't let him get to you. Just focus._ Professor Englund watched Beckett preform his spell flawlessly, then both of them turned to me. _No pressure, Sky._

"Good job, Mr. Dietz. Now just bend it to your will," he said. I closed my eyes again, thinking about the way fire danced over the logs of a campfire or in a wood stove. A gentle breeze brushed through my hair, taking the small golden fireball I'd created and letting it soar across the room. I bit my cheek and gestured for it to come back to me, and it did, hovering above my open palm almost effortlessly. It was beautiful.

"Very well done, Mr. Dietz," Englund praised, looking back down at his clipboard. "With your marks combined," he mumbled to himself, tapping his pen on his bottom lip. "A perfect score. Keep this up and I think you're going to take this class by storm. I look forward to the rest of the year," he beamed at me before continuing onto the next student. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as the fire bobbed up and down in my palm.

"I actually did it!" I said triumphantly to myself. "I can't believe this."

"Yes, yes, congratulations. You managed a spell for babies. You really are quite the Attuned," Beckett mocked. I turned towards him, making eye contact. I could feel my eye twitch a little. I noticed the flame growing with my irritation. _Don't burn the building down, don't burn the building down. The last thing I need is to get expelled for doing something stupid. Breathe!_ I finally got my shit together, but Beckett kept pushing. "Uh-oh. Looks like your flame's dwindling. Better focus up. It's harder to keep control when you're distracted." I turned away from him, putting my hand up to block him again. I felt like a grade schooler dealing with a bully all over again. "You know, I thought I'd be more impressed when I met my first Sun-Att. Maybe Professor Kontos got it wrong…"

"Could you just _shut up_?!" I hissed at him. By the time I'd realised what I'd done, it was too late. The second I'd turned to yell at him, the fireball left my finger and started towards Beckett's face. "Oh no," I panicked, trying to call it back, but it was too late.

"Hey!" he barely swatted the air before my fireball got to him, sending it right back at me. I ducked, watching it fly over my head… straight towards the professor… _Oh, I am so doomed._ "Wait, I-"

Professor Englund ducked just in the nick of time, but he was not happy when he watched it slam into the stone wall behind him. As I ducked under my arms shamefully, he straightened up and waved his hand over the wall, putting out the flames instantly. "Well, that was definitely one way to start off the year."

I peeked out from under my arm and caught his disappointed gaze. I stood with a sigh. "I'm sorry professor! It was my fault! I didn't mean to throw it _at_ him. I just… lost control of it, I guess."

"Of course it's his fault!" Beckett stood behind me angrily.

"Oh, come on, Beckett. You've totally got this weird vendetta against me! What did I ever do to you?!" I shouted back at him.

"I have no clue what you're rambling on about!" he looked down his nose at me, his lip curling up in a sneer. "I swear, Professor Englund, I know every rule of this school forward and backward, and I would never break-"

"But unfortunately, Mr. Harrington, you _did_," the professor looked _so_ disappointed. It actually made me feel a bit better to see high and mighty Harrington fall. Beckett turned pink all over and looked lost for words. I tried _so_ hard not to snicker… I _tried. _"At this point, it's out of my hands. You'll both have to go see Dean Goeffe." I don't know if it was his words or the classes murmuring about our punishment that made my heart sink, but I felt like I was in some real deep shit.

"B-but, Sir!" Beckett objected. "I didn't… He… You can't!"

"It's no longer up to me," he said. "You'll see the dean tomorrow morning before class. She may go easy on you… but attacking another student is grounds for expulsion." That did it. I collapsed back onto the bench, my head under my arms on the desk. _My first day at something I'm actually interested in and _this_ happens…_ I was so disappointed in myself. "And Dean Goeffe isn't particularly well-known for being a forgiving woman."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Not a Woman Known for Second Chances

The rest of the day before went as you'd imagine. I'd spent the rest of the day dreading the meeting with the Dean. I couldn't think straight. I tried to practice my Fire spell with Shreya, but every time I'd cast it, my mind would automatically remind me that I was going to be kicked out of school. I ended up sitting by the lake until curfew, staring into my reflection and prepping myself for the return to my boring life. I _really_ wanted to stay. I hadn't felt a since of purpose since I'd started secondary school and, without my mom, I didn't really have anyone to live for other than myself, but that wasn't looking up either. Not saying I wanted to off myself, but the depression was certainly sinking in, and the idea of living out the rest of my life as a lifeless stump bothered me even more than being in trouble.

Finally, the morning came. It was only my second day of school and I was already up for expulsion. I found myself pacing back and forth in the corridor outside of Dean Goeffe's office, my arms crossed over my chest as I chewed at my thumb nail. _I can't believe I've already fucked up this badly. I'm done for sure._ I heard shuffling from down the hall and froze, thinking it may have been the dean, but it was just Beckett. I groaned and kept up my anxious pacing.

"I'm surprised you made it here before me. I assumed you'd get lost, what with how sad and inept you are," he taunted as his arrogant ass found a bench.

"Didn't sleep," I said with a sneer. "I had all night to find the place." He snorted, obviously not catching my sarcasm, but I really hadn't slept. I wasn't so dense that I couldn't navigate a building, though. We were silent for a while.

"Could you stop?" Beckett snapped about my pacing. "You're making this worse than it already is."

"Yeah, and whose fault is that?" I countered.

"Oh? How do you figure?" he crossed his arms and glared at me.

"You made me lose focus!" I hissed, making eye contact. "I was doing just fine keeping a handle on that flame until you opened your big mouth!" My eyes fell to said mouth and my brain decided it didn't want to be angry anymore, but I wasn't through being irritated yet. I groaned. "Damn you."

He rolled his eyes and leaned back against the wall. "Oh, please. Don't blame me for your lack of control."

"I can blame you all I want," I retorted, continuing to pace, arms crossed. "It's not fair."

"If you recall, _you're_ the one who threw the fireball at _me_," he said.

I waved an angry hand at him, heat rising to my face. "Not that. You're just so… so…"

"So _what_?"

I planted my feet, but couldn't make eye contact with him again. "It's not fair that you're so damn good looking!" I huffed. "I mean, seriously, have you _seen_ your jawline?"

"I- Wait… what?" his face burned red, which was _really cute_ until his brows pinched again. "You're clearly just trying to fluster me. Don't think you'll get in my head with your… _siren song,_" he hissed.

I stopped pacing and stood square in front of him. "My what?" I asked, finding even his retorts adorable now, but before I could get him to say it again, a loud click rang through the empty hallway and the door next to us swung open. I straightened up and pulled myself together when I saw Dean Goeffe. Beckett shot up and tidied his blazer, looking just as timid as I suddenly was.

"Ah, you two must be the pair that Professor Englund was referring to," she said, looking up at the both of us. The top of her head came to about my eyes, but she was a scary old woman.

"Yes, Dean Goeffe, we are," Beckett's smile was inappropriately timed, I thought, but it didn't stop him from being a git. "And may I just say how truly and _absolutely_ sorry I am for any and all of my actions." _Ass kisser.._.

She stared up at him, a look in her eye that shook my bones. His smile faded quickly as his face flushed red. When her eyes turned to me, she almost looked curious. It wasn't as intense as the look she'd given Beckett. "Come in, both of you. Let's get this over with." She moved back behind her desk, gesturing for me to close the door behind us. We took our seats across from her and looked nervously around the room, but never at each other. "Before we begin, allow me to say that I don't care who started this. I'm greatly disappointed in the both of you," her eyes met him first. "Mr. Harrington, I had extremely high hopes for you as a student, what with your family's reputation." His head was low, like that comment had struck him in the deepest corners of his being. His knuckles were white from how hard he'd been gripping at his trousers.

"Dean, please don't be too hard on him. I really did start all of this," I made eye contact with her, the thought of returning home so soon eating at my heart.

She stared sharply at me. It was awfully intimidating. "I appreciate your candour, Mr. Dietz, but it doesn't excuse Mr. Harrington's actions in this," she turned back to him. "Mr. Harrington, considering your excellent transcripts and undeniable potential, you will not be expelled today." I felt a bit of anger build up. I hated myself for taking the blame and letting that prick off the hook, but I'd already opened my big mouth and I was just waiting for the words "go home."

"Thank you, ma'am. You won't regret-," Beckett's sigh of relief was cut off by the single hand the dean held up.

Her gaze turned to me as her hand fell onto the desk. "You, however, seemingly came out of nowhere and think that Penderghast's rules don't apply to you, hm?" her tone was sharp, but I was too scared to look away from her.

"No! Of course not! That's-"

"Excuse me, Dean Goeffe, but… it _was_ an accident," Beckett's now smooth voice caught my attention. "A spell gone awry that got blown out of proportion." _Is he sticking up for me?!_ Shockingly, his words caused the dean to go silent.

She put her fingertips together and thought for a moment. "Lucky for you, Mr. Dietz, someone has already made a case for you to stay. One a bit more compelling than Mr. Harrington."

"But, wait… I'm not expelled?" I gasped.

"Not today, no," she said lowly, as if she was waiting for me to slip up again, but I didn't really notice. I held my hand to my stomach and took a deep, relieved breath. "But I want to make sure you know the severity of your actions. Both of you will be required to put in school service hours as punishment."

Beckett nodded eagerly. "Of course. Absolutely. Whatever we have to do."

"So be it," she said. "Arrive at the library at eight this evening to receive your assignments."

I took another deep breath. "Thank you so much, Dean Goeffe. I promise you this won't happen again."

"It had better not," she stared at me sternly. "I'm not a woman known for second chances, and you can expect that any further incidents will result in immediate expulsion. Do I make myself clear?" I nodded vigorously, understanding every word. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, she said, "Well? What are you waiting for? Leave." Without a single word, Beckett and I shot up from our seats and scurried off into the hallway, closing the door behind us.

When I heard the door close, I collapsed down onto my heels, my elbows on my knees and my hands folded in prayer near my face. "I can't believe I made it out of there in one piece. That woman is _terrifying_."

Beckett scoffed down at me. "That woman is a genius. A real savant of the current magical education landscape." Before I could tell him to stop being such a kissass, he added, "And one hundred percent the scariest person I've ever met." I let out a relieved laugh then dragged my hands down my face and stood up, fixing my own blazer. He cleared his throat and tried to look dapper again. "Well… I should go. I've got a class starting soon."

I nodded. "Right. Yeah."

"See you later… I suppose," he nodded curtly before starting off down the hall, his hands in his pockets.

"Later," I said after him. As I watched him turn the corner, I noticed a curious face with frizzy hair staring at me from behind a pillar. When she noticed I was looking at her, her eyes darted around nervously. I took a step towards her, but she jumped and hid back behind the pillar. When I got to where she was, she was gone, like she'd vanished into the wall. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. _I have to get to class._ I nodded to myself and, letting out one more deep breath, started down the hall.

My first class of the day was with Professor Kontos in the greenhouse, Natural Studies. Shreya had saved a seat for me. I slid onto the stool next to her and let my forehead fall onto the table, my arms limp at my side.

"I assume that since you're here, you're not expelled?" she asked with a bright smile.

I turned to face her, rubbing my cheek on the desk as I nodded. "Yeah. Beckett totally vouched for me…"

Her eyes widened. "Harrington? That's a shock. He seems like quite the stuck-up little brat."

"He is, but… I don't know… maybe he decided to be decent for once? I'm not going to question it. I'm just glad I don't have to leave," I said, sitting up and noticing my surroundings. There was a pile of something at the back of the greenhouse covered in a large gray tarp.

"It seems like magic is starting to grow on you," she smirked.

"It's just… I've had such a hard time finding something that I'm good at _and_ like. Now I have this incredible opportunity that I didn't even know existed and it's literally _magical_. It feels so right," I said, clenching my fists with the ambition I felt flowing through me for the first time in a long time.

Professor Kontos came through the door, straightening his leather vest. "Good morning, class!" he seemed awfully chipper, but that _was_ his personality. "Settle in, please. We're going to start the year off with a very special and exciting lecture today."

"So, what do you think is under the tarp?" I asked in a low voice, gesturing behind us.

"I just hope it's not another giant flytrap," her lip curled. "I swear the one by the door sniffed me on the way in," she shivered. I smiled, trying to hold in a laugh.

"Today's lesson," the professor continued, "is about one of the most important things an Attuned will ever learn." He paused for dramatic effect. "Companion magic!"

The class filled with excited whispers and I could hear the tarp moving, which caught my attention. Something… was breathing under it… "What's companion magic?" I asked a little too loudly. I was trying to just ask Shreya, but the whole class heard me, and some of them snickered.

"As most of you know," Professor Kontos explained, "many spells can only be cast when an Attuned combines their magic with that of another magical being. Now, if there aren't any other Attuned around, you can find yourself in quite a situation if the need to do companion magic arises. And so," he walked passed us to the back of the room and pulled the tarp up, revealing three fenced off sections on the floor… inside of each, four or five creatures wrestled each other to get the classes attention. The first section from the left had a bunch of toad-like creatures with scales on their backs, the second held snake-like creatures with a kelpie head and dragon wings, and the third… oh… the third held the most _adorable_ dogs in the world. Well, I guess they weren't dogs… They looked a bit like huskies, if huskies were grey and purple instead of black and white, with small curled horns growing out just before their perked up fluffy ears. They had stegosaurus scales running down their spines and tails, ending in a bit of a spike.

"Oh. My. _God_," I couldn't contain my emotions upon staring at the babies. Every creature looked to only be a few months old.

"_These_ are just a few of the magical creatures that hold enough potential to channel companion magic," Professor Kontos couldn't hold back his smile upon seeing the expressions of the class. "We call them familiars," he paused and stood behind the puppies. "The Arylu is a fierce and independent companion. Build its trust, though, and it will fight for you tooth and nail, even when no magic is required." One of the pups yipped excitedly and started chasing its tail. With a small poof, it disappeared, then reappeared a metre away and ran around the greenhouse wildly. Suddenly, it stopped, looked up at me, and cocked its head, its little purple tongue hanging out of the side of its mouth. _It's so cute._ The professor stomped his hoof lightly against the ground and the pup ran back to the enclosure, poofing back into the far corner. He then took a step to the left. "The Lumian is wary of danger and will alert you at the first sign of trouble, making them highly prized as both guards and companions," he explained. One of the elegant, serpentine creatures cooed to the class and wrapped itself up in its own tail, rustling its wings a bit. Another flapped its wings a few times, causing a ripple of air to pulse out to us. With another step to the left, the professor introduced the final set of creatures. "And lastly, the Gorgue. A simple but effective creature, though, they have a tendency to be quite stubborn." For the most part, the little toad-like creatures seemed to be bored little rocks, but their skin was slick and one's tail twitched as it let out a croak that sounded more like a mountain giant belching. "My friends at Companion Breeding Company sent us over a fresh litter for all of you to choose from, so please, make a neat line…" Before he finished, everyone was on their feet, shuffling into a single line.

"This is so cool!" I beamed at Shreya, who smiled adoringly up at me. "Which one are you going to pick?"

"I've had my heart set on a Lumian since I was a young girl," she gushed. "They're such regal creatures! What about you?"

I cocked my head and raised my brow. "Oh, you know I want one of those puppies." She giggled.

When we made it to the front of the line, Shreya picked up a Lumian and nearly squeezed it to death in her arms. It was precious. I squatted down in front of the Arylu cage. The one that had run over to me earlier, I noticed, had stayed at the back of the group. I assumed it just didn't want to be picked, but when I knelt down, it disappeared and reappeared right into my lap.

I was all smiles. "I guess you're coming with me, then?" I asked it, receiving a giddy yip as a reply. I lifted it up to my shoulder and walked back to my table to fawn over our new friends.

"What are you going to name him?" Shreya asked, stroking the head of her Lumian.

I looked down at the _incredibly_ soft pup in my lap. "Hmm," I thought about it for a minute while scratching behind his ear. He licked my arm, sending a shiver down my spine as a thin layer of ice formed on my skin. "That's different," I stared down at my arm. "You're a little iceman, aren't you?" I asked. He scrambled up my shoulder and licked my face, which was a lot colder than I'd expected it would be. "His name is Bobby. Bobby Drake."

"Take the rest of class to get acquainted with your new friend, and remember: A familiar is not a pet, it's a partner. If you want them to put their trust in you, you must do the same," Professor Kontos said when everyone had a familiar. He walked over to his desk and let us carry on.

"What did you name your familiar?" I asked Shreya. "I assume you already had one picked out."

She beamed. "Her name is Chichi. I've always wanted a Lumian, but my mother said the only way an animal was coming into our house was in a garment bag," as she spoke she stroked Chichi's nose, but the last two words made her eyes shoot up at Shreya like she'd been betrayed. "Oh, don't worry, dear. My mother is nowhere close to here, and I would never let her hurt you," she let Chichi fly over her shoulder and nest on her head.

"Chichi, huh?" I smiled, still obsessed with Bobby's fur.

"It's short for Gucci because my Lumian is _just_ as iconic," she held her chin high.

Bobby's back paw met my hand near his ear as I played with a few strands of hair that stuck out longer than the others. I pulled my fingers back to let him scratch, but with every kick, snow started falling around him in small flurries, as if his skin was made of snow and he was throwing the powder into the air. "I hope I'm good at this. I've never really taken care of anything other than myself, and even that's pretty iffy at times," I confessed, staring down at his mysterious lavender eyes.

Shreya laughed. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Just remember," her face got serious and she dropped the tone of her voice, "A familiar is not a pet, it's a partner." Her impression of Professor Kontos made me snicker, but those words did have weight. Humans treated pets like forever babies and often spoilt or neglected them, treated them as something subservient, but all creatures, great and small, were on equal grounds. If I had one thing going for me, it was that I would never treat Bobby as anything other than family.

That night I had to deal with my punishment. I headed to the library, ready to get my assignment and thankful that I was still there at all. Bobby dashed around me in circles as I walked down the halls. "Hey, buddy, be careful. I don't want to step on you," I said. He seemed to understand me perfectly and walked in a straight line near my left foot for the rest of the journey. When I entered the library, my jaw dropped. It was huge. At least 4 stories high of books and marble columns. The floor was tiled with orange stars and books were _flying _around between the top three levels. Through the wonder, I tried to remember my mission. I spotted Beckett at a table near the center of the room completely surrounded by piles of books. "Hey, uh, I'm not late, am I?" I looked down at my watch, which didn't seem to mean much in the magical world, but I hadn't figured out their star maps yet.

Without looking up at me, he said, "No, I was already here." Bobby yipped and teleported into my arms. I was still getting used to his trust falls. Beckett looked up, narrowed his eyes at my familiar, then went back to reading. "Familiars aren't allowed in the library. Did you not read the sign?" he spat.

I spun around, looking for said sign, but couldn't tell where it would even be. It wasn't on the door… "Oh, I guess I'll just take him back to my room then."

"Don't be silly," he scoffed. "Just tell him to go off to the ether."

"Um…," I looked down at my little pup as he licked my hand, making my skin _really _cold. "Go to… the ether?" I said. He looked up at me, panting happily, then disappeared for longer than he'd been gone all day. "Where'd he go?" I felt sadness in my heart.

"Don't worry. He'll come back when you call and he'll be perfectly happy there with all the other off-duty familiars," Beckett explained, sounding a little less snooty as he looked up at me. After a moment, he closed his book and stood up.

"So," I tried to break the ice, "what were you reading? There's got to be loads of great study material in here."

He scoffed again. "I'm here to complete my school service hours, not start a book club with you."

I rolled my eyes. "Right."

He was silent for a second then said, "I got our service assignment from the librarian, Mr. Korningshwip. We're supposed to reshelve the Attuned history section from 1300 to 1350."

"That's only fifty years. Doesn't sound so bad," I shrugged. "Where's that section?"

He lazily pointed down the aisle behind him that stretched deep into the back of the library. So far, even, that there weren't any lights farther in. "It goes all the way down."

I trilled my lips. "I see… but at least all we have to do is put some books in the right place." I was thinking of the libraries I enjoyed in Toronto. I always had a knack for navigating a library. He gestured upwards to the flying books. "Oh yeah," I frowned. "And how do we get those books down here?"

He rolled his eyes, avoiding mine as if I wasn't worth the effort. "I've already got some here," he said, pointing to a pile on the desk. "Let's just get to work, shall we?" I nodded unenthusiastically.

Nearly an hour later, we were back to back in the aisle sorting books we'd caught flying low or just lying around, but every time I put one away, the one next to it would try to fly off. "Ugh! This is torture!" I groaned.

He sighed behind me. "This is making even _me_ hate the library."

"Alright, I need a break," I huffed as I angrily shoved the last book from my pile into place. I spun around and leaned against the bookcase, watching his shoulders as he slipped his books effortlessly onto the shelves one after another. "So, this morning… You vouched for me."

"Yeah, so what?" he asked bluntly, placing his last two books.

"I just wanted to thank you. I know the dean said it didn't change anything, but It meant a lot to me, so thanks," I pursed my lips in thought as I watched him.

He didn't turn around, but he froze, his neck and ears going a bit pink. "Well… Don't get used to it," he huffed, but not as meanly as he had before. "Besides, I figured I owed you one for telling the dean it wasn't my fault," he kept his back to me, but I could tell he wasn't scowling for once… until he did. "Don't make a thing out of it," he hissed.

I groaned. "Jesus, are you always like this?"

He sneered at me. "Like what, exactly?"

"A complete asswipe!" I gestured at his expression. "You don't have to be such a jerk. Not everyone is out to get you, you know."

"Obviously, I don't think that's the case. I-," he started, but he seemed lost for words for a moment. He took a breath and said calmly, "This is important to me. College, I mean. I have to do well. I have to _excel_." He turned back to the bookshelf and did a quick hand motion before a tiny whirlwind appeared above his head, pulling in the flying books above us. "I have to be the best."

"You think you're the only one? I'm not here to stare at the landscape, though it is a beautiful campus," I started, but it obviously wasn't the break-through I'd thought it was. "Look, this place is incredible. Isn't it enough just to be here?"

He sighed. "I wish it were, but no. If I don't graduate top of my class, or with the Attuned Magickae Uirtus Award, what's the point?" he asked. He was the biggest nerd I'd ever seen.

"A stellar education? Making lifelong connections? The 'colligate experience'?" I threw out a few ideas.

He tried to rein in a few more books, but one managed to escape his draw, losing a few pages on the way. The corner of his lip twitched, but he didn't smile. "You… wouldn't understand. I'll be back. I have to hunt that book down," he started down the aisle.

I pushed myself off of the bookcase and shoved my hands in my back pockets, following him. "I don't understand a whole world of things, obviously," I muttered the last word. "That doesn't mean I won't try."

He stopped and sighed again. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

I smirked. "Not a chance. My curiosity is the key to progress."

He rolled his eyes again, his lip twitching. It was my new goal to make this sod laugh. "Curiosity killed the cat, you know."

"But satisfaction brought it back," I smirked. He sighed and shook his head, but kept walking. "So, Beckett Harrington, what exactly is your deal?" I asked, leaning to inspect him as we walked side-by-side.

"I wouldn't say there's a _deal_. My parents expect… a lot from me, that's all," he avoided looking me in the eyes.

I straightened up to watch where I was going. "I get that. I think that's just a parent thing. My mom was the same way."

"Really?" he looked sideways at me. "You'd think you'd try a little harder in class then."

"Hey," I snapped. "No need to be _mean_. I thought we were having a moment."

He looked down. "Sorry. Old habits, I suppose. It's more than that, though. My parents don't just expect a lot. They expect _everything._" I could see the shame in his eyes more clearly as we approached the brighter lights. "Katrina, my sister, has four degrees from three different Attuned universities worldwide, _and_ an MBA from Harvard," he said.

"That certainly is impressive," I bit my cheek, knowing now how hard it was going to be to beat his sister's achievements. "But does she have your charming good looks?" I asked, a smirk fighting its way across my face.

He immediately looked away from me, clearing his throat. "I wouldn't say that I'm all that good looking."

I let the grin take over, looking him over as we walked. "_I_ certainly would." The book we were following made a sharp left, leading us to a row of bookshelves filled with green books. It smelt like a meadow.

"Still, my sister always had the looks in the family. On top of all that, she's a humanitarian, she speaks eight languages, and she even spent time studying at Le Cordon Bleu," he continued.

I raised my eyebrows, impressed. "Wow. How much older than you _is_ she?"

"She's only twenty-eight," he frowned.

I shook my head. "Oh, come on. That's just not fair."

"You're telling me," he lowered his voice like she could hear him speak ill of her when she wasn't around. "The worst part is, she's honestly the nicest, most caring person I've ever met… and look at me… I haven't even accomplished anything yet, and I'm already a curmudgeonly jerk." I sniggered.

I turned to face him, putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him from walking. "Listen to me, Beckett. First off, you have to be at least fifty to get the title of 'curmudgeon'," I tried not to laugh again, but the smile couldn't be erased.

"Is this your idea of being helpful?" he asked, a look of bewilderment on his face.

I held up a finger. "_Second_ of all, you can't try to live up to other people's expectations of yourself! It's hard enough to listen to your own."

"Easier said than done," he said. "My expectations of myself are pretty high, too."

"Obviously," I muttered. "Maybe you should start by setting some _attainable_ goals." Just then, I noticed the book aiming for a set of stairs in the corner. I darted passed him to go catch it, flagging for him to follow me. As I climbed the stairs, I continued. "Instead of worrying about how many awards you have, start with something smaller. Something you can achieve easily and feel good about, like completing your homework or passing the semester."

"Or finish that volume on manipulating shield and ward magic I checked out the other day?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Or that… I was thinking something more _fun_."

"Like… finishing the companion volume on reversing manipulations to shield and ward magic?" he asked again, really not getting it.

I laughed. "I said _fun._ What do you do for _fun_?"

"Er," he stammered. "I like… reading?"

I nodded encouragingly. "Okay, reading is good. What's your favourite book?"

He brightened up for the first time since we'd met. "Well, I did just finish the most exciting book about the correlation between shield and ward magic and their manipulations," he grinned.

I stared blankly at him. "You're fired. I _meant_, like, fiction or poetry or something, not research material or homework. Do you not know how to have _fun_, Beckett?" The book turned again, this time into a brightly lit corridor with a load of paintings and sketches hanging on the walls. "Woah… there's a whole art gallery in here!" I called back over my shoulder. When he got up to where I was, he seemed unperturbed and continued after the book. "Okay," I stumbled after him. "There's got to be at least one thing you do just for the hell of it, not for an award or acknowledgement, just for you."

He kept walking, but I saw his ears go a bit pink again. "I do, sometimes, enjoy… yoga," he said.

"Really?" I asked, tried to work out that image in my head. _He certainly has the build_. I bit my lip as I looked him over for the umpteenth time.

"It's excellent practice for focusing yourself before casting!" he snapped, completely flustered. "And it's relaxing…"

I waved my hand in front of my face. "Hey, no judgement here! I'd like to see you do it." I paused, thinking very vividly about him doing yoga… "Nevermind." I shook the dangerous thoughts out of my head and looked up. We were right underneath the book, but every attempt at grabbing it was fruitless.

"Bugger…," he muttered. I saw him staring at me through the corner of his eye. "What about you? What do you do for _fun_?"

I shrugged with a grin. "Little ol' me? I like to party," I said. "There's little more entertaining than sneaking passed a bouncer and getting free drinks all night from some tall-dark-and-handsome." I bit my lip at the thought. "Plus, you know, the late nights, the flashing lights, and your favourite song blaring on the radio. It's like nothing else."

"Sounds a bit… _loud_ for me, but I could see how that might be fun," he… _smiled._ He actually smiled!

The book teasingly came down towards our heads before zipping off towards another set of stairs and down to the first level. "This book is really giving us the run around, huh?"

"Can you blame it?" his smile lingered. "It knows as soon as we catch it, it's back to the shelf." It was interesting to see Beckett look relaxed for the first time. In that moment, I decided he was going to be my project. If I accomplished nothing else this semester, I was going to make this tightly wound nerd unwind.

When we got back downstairs, we found the book perched on a table, as if it needed a rest. I leaned into Beckett and whispered, "You take left, I take right." He nodded and we split up as we walked closer, quietly creeping up on the bloody thing.

"Now!" he lunged forward, I did the same, but missed. We collided like a couple of pissed plonkers onto the floor, but I managed to grab the little bastard before it flew off again.

"Gotcha!" I said triumphantly, but was suddenly distracted by loud, uncontrollable laughter. Beckett was actually laughing. Like, real stomach pains laughter. I blushed, thinking about how cute he was.

"We could have just used magic, you know!" he said through deep breaths, trying to control himself.

"Sure, but sometimes it's more fun to get your hands dirty," I smirked, pulling myself up and extending my hand to him. His smile lingered for a bit longer, but soon he was clearing his throat and straightening his blazer.

"Should we get back to it then?" he suggested. I sighed, bummed that our fun was over, and nodded. When I turned to take the book back down the aisle, he called out to me. "Skyler," he said. "I suppose I should thank you."

I smirked. "For what? Getting you in trouble and landing you in magic detention?"

"Not exactly," he chuckled. "Though, I suppose thanks is in order for that, too." He composed himself again. "I should thank you for listening to me and giving me a second chance, considering I was such a… what was it you called me?"

"A royal pain in the ass?" I asked, knowing I hadn't said that one to his face.

He looked taken aback. "I'm not that bad, am I?"

I teetered my hand in front of me. "Eh…" The look on his face was priceless. My lip curled up in amusement. "You're cute, though, so I guess I can let you off the hook." His cheeks burned red and his eyes darted everywhere except at me. "You're especially cute when you get a compliment and start blushing like that."

"I-," he cut himself off as his neck and face darkened.

"Oh, there it is again," I beamed, biting the edge of my lip.

"I- er… Thanks, I suppose?" he stammered. "Is that… er… you are also nice to look at. In a normal way! Not that I'm _looking_, but I mean…"

I couldn't contain my gushing. He was so _precious_. "I get what you mean," I giggled. "Now, come on. Let's get this over with so we can get out of here."

"Er, right," he turned awkwardly on his heel and walked back over to the stack of books he'd left on the table before our wild book chase.

After putting pesky book and its friends back, there was only one left to get. It was a heavy tome flying around over the tables. I climbed up on the one closest to its flight pattern, but I had to jump to actually reach it. I missed twice, making Beckett laugh again.

"Stop, stop! You're going to hurt yourself! Or me…," he held his stomach like he'd never laughed so hard in his life.

"Are you having fun?" I glared down at him playfully as he watched me.

"Just a bit," he waved for me to come down and stand next to him. "Here, try this. First, stop the air current," he lifted his hand up and pointed at the book, freezing it in mid-air. "Then, turn yourself into a magnet. The book can't help but be drawn to you," he turned his hand around to face him and curled his finger forward, beckoning the tome to come to him. It landed in his hand without a fuss. "They also like it when you stroke their spines. They're more likely to stay on a shelf if they like you."

"You couldn't have shown me this sooner?" I asked, frustrated. "And we've been here for, what, three days? How do you know all this stuff?"

He shrugged. "My home library uses a similar filing system. Go ahead and try it."

_My home library…_ I mocked him internally. _He's such a rich boy. _"Try it? How am I supposed to make myself a magnet? I literally know one spell and you saw how that turned out yesterday," I objected.

He sighed, clearly disappointed in my lack of 'basic skill'. "What did Professor Englund say in class, Skyler? About where magic comes from? _You're_ the one who answered the question, remember?"

"We're born with it," I said.

He nodded. "Exactly. The point is, and I'm loath to say this, but you're probably the most powerful student at this school. I'd be shocked if a little spell like this isn't a cake walk for you."

"Beckett Harrington, did you just compliment me?" I taunted.

"Don't let it go to your head," he narrowed his eyes, but a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. "The magnet part is the trickiest, but perfectly simple with the right Attunement, which I am pleased to be graced with," he smirked.

"Okay, but you're not explaining the _how_, though," I tilted my head a bit.

"Just…," he struggled, clearly not used to my level of ineptitude, "how do I put it? It's a feeling you get, right in your core. If you focus on it hard enough, you can _feel_ the energy being released. All you have to do is reverse that energy. Draw energy in instead of expelling it out." He stared at me for a second to make sure I'd understood. "Go on, try it."

I looked at his eager face and let out a breath. "Alright, first step," I shook my hands out like I was about to play a killer game of foosball. I pointed up at one of the books flying overhead, thinking about stopping the air around it. When it froze, I smiled. I'd half-expected it not to work.

Beckett smirked at my excitement. "Next step, make yourself a magnet."

I closed my eyes again, taking a deep breath in and letting it out. _Focus. Magnet. Metal._ I turned my hand around and curled my finger towards myself. I opened one eye to see if I'd gotten it right or messed it up beyond reason, but the book was almost in my hand already. I pulled it to me and stroked the spine with two fingers. It vibrated like a purring cat then relaxed. "Awe, who's a good book?"

"Credit where credit is due, Skyler. That was flawless," he applauded silently.

"Better than you?" I asked teasingly, noticing how close we were standing. He was really tall. The top of my head only came to his shoulder. I bit my lip.

"Let's not push the issue," he said as he turned to walk back down the aisle, pink gracing his cheeks, too. I let the book I'd caught go, since it wasn't one that we needed to deal with. I heard Beckett say, "Cor blimey!" down the aisle and went to see what he was fussing over. "Look at this! It must have fluttered over from another section of the library."

I looked over his shoulder. "Another old book?"

"Skyler, this is a first edition Penderghast Compendium!" he raved. "Everything you've ever wanted to know about this lauded institution is in here!" he looked so excited. "Up until the twentieth century, that is."

I pushed myself into his arm to get a look at the old book. "Fascinating! Let me see! There's got to be some truly thrilling school history in those pages," I stared in awe as he flipped through the pages.

"Oh, just wait until you see the complete timeline of Penderghast deans chronicled all the way from the inception of the college," he beamed.

"They have that?" I mused.

"Look, here's the original school seal," he held the book out to me. The cover had the same crest as the one on Beckett's school blazer, but instead of the elephant-dragon Dryxmar in the middle, it was a snake eating its own tail.

"Ouroboros?" I asked, wondering what the relevance of it was in this context. The symbol had been used in many mythologies to symbolise the circle of life, new beginnings, repeating histories, an endless cycle of self-deprivation, or occult groups.

"We were the Penderghast Ouroboros until 1916, when Dean Greygarden Waithe thought the mascot should be a little more…," he paused. "I believe the word he used was 'fun'." He smirked down at me before running his finger over the inlay. "The rest of the seal is the same, though. The typeface, the colours of the shield representing the nine elements-," I cut him off before he could continue.

"I was told there were eight," I said, pointing to the crest on his blazer. "There's only eight on this crest, too."

He traced his finger around the border of the crest, a deep red embroidery. "That's the ninth. We're only allowed to study eight, but," he looked around then gestured for me to lean in, like he was telling me a secret, "the ninth is Blood magic."

"Um… like mastery of… actual blood?" I asked, wondering how that would even work. It seemed awfully twisted and dangerous and maybe even a bit gross.

"More like the mastery over life itself," he said. "Blood-Atts are the only Attuned powerful enough to give life… and they can take it away," he snapped, "just like that." He looked off-put by the idea, too. "That's why the practice of Blood magic has been banned."

I noticed how close I was. I could smell his cologne… My thoughts drifted for a second, but I shook them away. I was more curious about this history lesson at the moment. "So the Attuned government or whatever just _disallowed_ them? How do you do that to an entire group of people?"

He frowned. "It was more like they were… suppressed. It's the rarest Attunement a person can have, so there weren't many to begin with," he stopped and looked at me with the utmost curiosity. "How do you not know this stuff?"

"I never paid attention in school, obviously," I lied, trying to cover my ass. He nodded, accepting the answer a bit too easily for my pride to handle. It took some extra focusing not to glare at him. "But… why would they do that?"

He looked around again. "Follow me. I want to show you something." He gestured for me to follow him as he walked over to a three-headed snake statue at the back of the library. All of its heads whirled in our direction and hissed. He held out his hand and they retreated immediately.

"What are you, the snake whisperer?" I asked.

"It's an enchantment," he explained. "You need special permission to access these archives." The snake slid to the side, allowing us through. The room it had been guarding looked more like a dusty old storage locker. The shelves were simple and much shorter.

"Huh… I thought I'd be more impressive back here," I thought aloud.

"Hey, you shouldn't…," he chuckled to himself, unable to finish his own sentence. "You shouldn't judge a book by its cover!" he snickered. I rolled my eyes at him, only laughing at how funny he _thought_ he was. Whatever. It was progress. He cleared his throat. "Right, well. To answer your question about why they went to such length to stop Attuned from practicing Blood magic," he walked down the main aisle, looking for a specific section. "There was a man, a while ago. He went kind of crazy, experimenting on children and all kinds of horrible stuff. They called him 'The Dread'."

I followed him as he turned into a smaller aisle, scanning the shelves for a specific text. "That's… a really cool name." He stopped and turned toward me, eyebrow raised. I shrugged. "What? It's like a cool comic book supervillain name. Gotta give the guy credit for badassery in the name department."

"His real name was Raife Highmore," he said. For some reason, _that_ name gave me shivers.

"So, what happened to this Raife guy?" I asked.

Beckett lowered his voice to a whisper as his finger trailed along the spines of the books on the shelves. "No-one really knows, actually. It's pretty strange. When I was a kid, he was basically the boogieman. You know, 'if you don't eat your peas, The Dread will come for you!' kind of thing," he mocked.

"Parenting at its absolute finest," I chuckled.

"And unfortunately, a very real possibility," he shivered a bit. "For all the years he was being pursued, he only killed kids." The candle sconce at the end of the aisle flickered and I could feel myself actually getting spooked. He stopped in front of a section that read "Biographical Histories" before he continued. "Then, one day, he just… disappeared." He traced his finger over the spine of a book on the top shelf before pulling it out and handing it to me.

"Magical Crimes of the 21st Century?" I read the cover. I tried to open it, but the book wouldn't budge.

"Oh, right. All of the books in this section can't be checked out without access approval, see?" he pointed at an indent on the side of the spine that looked like a fingerprint scanner.

"I see," I turned the book over in my hands. "And how do I get access?"

He beamed. "It has to be approved by the dean herself. Usually for students that are already excelling past the standard year's curriculum." I faked a cough, squeezing the word 'keener' in the middle. "One of my many benefits to attending the Penderghast summer program," he shrugged. "And being all out brilliant, of course."

"Great! So you can just check it out for me," I grinned slyly.

He retreated. "No way! I can't go around using my special privileges to help just anyone! What if you damage it or forget to bring it back and accrue late charges?" he looked horrified by the thought.

"_Please_, Beckett?" I batted my eyelashes, shamelessly using my charm against him. "I need your help on this. This could be important for me to learn."

He smiled smugly. "So, the great Sun-Att needs my help, huh? Interesting."

I kept my smile up, leaning into his arm. "I promise I'll turn it in on time, before the due date, even."

He stared at me for a long moment, his cheeks a bit pink despite his seriousness. After a while, he took the book from my hands and pressed his thumb to the spine. The book hissed and suddenly felt lighter when he handed it back to me. "Don't say I never did anything for you… and try not to set it on fire. I know how much trouble you have with that." I pursed my lips at him, but kept my mouth shut. "I'm going to go get my things together and return this Compendium, since our jail sentence is almost up."

I looked down at the book, already flipping through pages. I held up my hand to wave him off. "Yeah, sure. I'll catch up with you in a second." I sensed him moving away and added, "and thank you!" before he left.

_Highmore's actions during this time are considered the main catalyst for the banning of Blood magic in the Americas. His reign of terror created an international panic, though no crimes outside of the United States were ever found to have been his doing. No-one has ever discovered the reason behind Highmore's killing spree. Most assume it was backlash due to the already growing contention against Blood-Atts... (More on page 154)._ …_ while a small few believe Highmore was chasing the secret to Refractionary energies of old Attuned lore._

On the same page, a photo of a man in his mid-fifties with a bushy beard and murderous eyes stared up at me. I nearly dropped the book when I saw him. Something about him sent a horrid chill down my spine. _God, this guy really was a monster_. I closed the book and took it back out to the main section, slipping it into my bag before I left the library.

Beckett was waiting for me out in the hall. "Took you long enough."

"Uh, yeah, sorry about that. I was a bit lost in that book," I said, a bit startled. "Wait, were you _waiting_ for me?" I teased.

His ears tinged with pink. "I-it's dark and… well, we live in the same building, after all."

"Awe, you were gonna walk me home," I cooed, thinking how adorable he was. A breeze hit the back of my neck, making my whole body cringe. I spun around, my hand guarding my neck, and saw the woman from that morning. She was hiding behind a corner again. I cocked my head. "Her again?" _Is she spying on me?_

"Who?" Beckett asked, apparently not seeing anyone.

When I looked back at the hallway, she was gone. "Not this time," I mumbled to myself before sprinting down the hall.

"Hey, wait!" he called after me.

I was able to track her by the tail of her skirt as she drifted around corners. I hadn't notice Beckett following me until I got to the foyer. His heavy footsteps threw me off as I tried to figure out where she'd gone. _I didn't realise he'd follow me…_ "Come on, Beckett! Hurry!" I rounded a corner just in time to see a door slam shut at the end of the hallway. I made it to the door, opening it with a flourish as Beckett caught up to me, but all I saw was another empty hallway… "Damnit!" I turned around and rubbed my temples.

"That's it then. We lost her," he said, huffing and puffing a bit. "Can we get out of here, please? This empty hallway is eerie."

I looked around, my heart still racing, unwilling to give up. I noticed the end of the new hallway looked familiar. "Wait a minute," I walked towards the dead end. "I've been here before," I stared at the wall.

"Can't imagine why. Were you lost?" Beckett asked.

"No, just shush for a second," I held up a finger, not meaning to sound as angry as I did.

"Ugh, congratulations, it's a dead end," he said, watching me stare at the wall. I rolled my eyes and waved my hand along the wall the way I'd seen Griffin do it, wiping away the mirage. "How did you know that was there?"

"It's a secret," I smirked and put my finger to my lips.

"Colour me mildly impressed. That was… well done," he praised.

"I'll take it. Now give me a second…," I put my knuckles together, trying to mimic Griffin, then touched the doorknob with two fingers from my left hand. The door clicked and I swung it open to reveal the lost and found room, but the woman was nowhere in sight. "Crap… she's gone." I looked around the room, looking for anything I hadn't seen a few days earlier, but everything looked untouched.

"This room certainly isn't on the school map," Beckett was awestruck looking at all the knickknacks. "Is that a jar of dragon scales?"

"Yup. This place is kind of a lost and found," I explained, stepping farther into the room. I nearly tripped over a bag lying in the middle of the small pathway. "That wasn't here before." Inside were some shiny pens, a crystal shard, and some kind of bone. It must have been from a magical creature, since I didn't recognise its shape. Under the bone was a sepia tone photograph. I picked it up. It'd been torn in half. When I flipped it over in my hand, I saw a smiling man holding a baby… with a sun shaped birthmark… "Is that me?!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Life Could be a Dream

It was late when I got back to the dorm, so I went straight to my room, not telling Zeph or Shreya about the photo. I sat on my bed, staring down at it, running my fingertips along the tear line. I had so many questions. The kid in the photo had my birthmark, a sun shape on the right shoulder. _How is this picture at the school? Is this guy my real father? If I didn't know I had magic, why is this picture here of all places? Were my parents magic? What's on the other half of this photo?_ I knew I was adopted, and I knew the woman I called 'Mom' my whole life had found me before I could remember. She'd never told me about my birth parents. Did she know? How was I supposed to deal with this new information?!

I ended up overloading my brain and falling asleep with the picture still in my hand. When I woke up, I put it in the top drawer of the desk to keep it safe until I could find a better place. Bobby Drake was running around the room while I got dressed. "Hey, boy," I chuckled when he suddenly popped into my arms to lick my face. "Are you hungry? We should go eat." He yipped excitedly at my suggestion as we headed out of the room.

About an hour later, Zeph and I were headed towards the greenhouse for our Potions class. I filled him in on everything that had happened the day before, from the meeting with the dean to the end of detention. I wasn't sure if I should even mention the photo. I needed to do more digging by myself.

"Beckett taught me a new spell to round up books and _then_ he taught me about illegal Blood magic," I said, a bit more enthusiastically than I actually felt at the time, but the new spell was exciting.

He stopped me from walking. "Back up a second. You're saying that _Beckett Harrington was actually nice_?" his jaw dropped.

I nodded. "I know, right? He's not really a jerk. He's more like a complete and total nerd," I smirked at myself, remembering his bad 'judge a book by its cover' joke and his cute chuckle. "He wants people to think he's cool, but doesn't really know what cool is."

"So he makes up for it by being a snob?" Zeph raised his brow, clearly thinking I'd lost it if I was suddenly friends with a guy that nearly got me expelled.

I shrugged. "I honestly don't think he has any friends, no surprise there, and he's just putting up a front."

Zeph laughed and elbowed me in the ribs. "Until now. Congrats on becoming Loner Nerd's first friend," he snorted. I rolled my eyes and playfully shoved him away from me. "But tell me something, Sky. You've got a lot to say about this Harrington guy, and _everyone's _noticed the tension between you two. Correct me if I'm wrong," he smirked slyly, "and I'll totally drop it, but do you have a little crush on him, by chance?"

I swooned. "How could I _not_?" I asked, biting the inside of my lip. "Have you _seen_ that boy's jawline? And his hair is so suave." When I turned to him again, I added, "And he's tall. So tall…"

"Oh, those hearts in your eyes are gonna make me sick," he teased, making a fake gagging noise. I rolled my eyes and he laughed. "I'm gonna let you have your type, Sky, but just know I'm gonna take every opportunity I can to tease you about it."

"Noted and accepted," I smirked.

When we took our seats in the greenhouse, I continued, keeping my voice low. "He even walked me back to the dorm when we were done," I sighed happily, resting my cheek against my hand on the desk. "But… things got weird after I left the library. I saw someone… maybe a teacher? She was staring at me, but she ran away when I tried to talk to her. It was weird," I furrowed my brow at the thought. "After that, I found…," I stopped myself, realising what I was about to say. _I can't tell anyone until I know myself…_

I'd already peaked his curiosity, though. "Sky, what is it?" the amount of concern in his eyes… _maybe I _should_ tell him._

"I followed her to the lost and found and found…," I paused again. "I found a picture of me as a baby…"

"What? Plot twist," he leaned in closer so we could whisper.

"Yeah, it can't just be a coincidence, can it?" I asked, keeping my voice low. "It's like she led me straight to it…"

"Does this woman know you or something?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I don't even know… It's like… every time I have something figured out, something new pops up." I buried my face in my hands. "I'm so confused!" I mumbled. "I think the best thing I can do is keep my head down," I peeked at him through the gap between my thumb and index finger, "and learn as much about the magical world as I can. That must give some answers, right?"

He nodded. "It sounds like you already have a lead with this woman."

"If only I knew who she was or how to get her to talk to me," I sighed, thinking she'd just run away again if I approached her. "All I remember is that she was wearing a red scarf and her hair was a wild, like she'd been running in the wind."

Zeph cocked his head. "You know, it kind of sounds like you're talking about Professor Swan. I've heard some really strange stuff about her," he leaned in again and stared seriously into my eyes. "Sure, they call her 'Professor', but from what I've heard, she hasn't taught-," he started, but a thought suddenly came to mind.

I blurted, "Wait, Professor Swan? Isn't she the first year Sun-Att advisor Kontos told me about?"

"Yeah, that sounds like-," he started again, but this time Professor Kontos cut him off.

"Good morning, young learners. Thank you all for being on time," he said in his low, smooth voice as he entered the greenhouse holding a cauldron. Zeph and I straightened up. "We're going to get right into potion-making today, which I am sure many of you are excited about," he walked over to an empty table and set his things down. "To begin, I'd like you all to take a look at the daydream potion you're going to be concocting." Zeph and I looked giddily at each other upon hearing the word "daydream" and sat at the edge of our stools to get as good of a view as we could.

I was excited, but I wanted to learn more. I could multi-task, and Zeph had admitted on the first day to being able to talk and listen at the same time. "Hey, tell me more about Swan," I nudged him under the table.

He turned to me, keeping his mouth reasonably close to my ear. "She's, like, super weird. Always muttering under her breath, kind of a loner, weirdly protective of her office…"

"Protective of her office?" I questioned him, thinking that it was a weird detail. "What does that even mean?"

"I dunno, but there's a rumour that she keeps illegal magic stuff in there. Contraband, or potions," he explained with a mischievous grin. "Maybe even creatures."

"But hasn't anyone been in there? They would've seen all that stuff, right?" I asked.

"I've heard that she doesn't like being around people," he said, trying to watch what Kontos was doing. "Never invites students to her office. Doesn't really talk to the other professors."

"What's she even doing at a college then?" I looked at him and he shrugged.

"Can everyone see the potion?" Kontos asked, looking around the room. "Students in the back, Skyler, Zeph, please come forward and take a quick look," his eyes met with mine, making me feel a bit uneasy, though I knew he meant well. We slid off of our chairs and walked up to the desk to look at the glittering golden potion in his cauldron. It looked like gold bars had been melted into the pot. "While fairly easy to make, a daydream potion can have amusing side-effects when improperly brewed, though none are typically dangerous," he told us. "Which is why you'll be making this potion to kickstart your brewing ju-ju, as the Attuned say," he giggled at himself.

"Not sure I've heard that one before," Zeph said as we sat back down.

"Yeah, I'm one hundred percent sure no-one says that, but let him have it. It can't be easy keeping up with Attuned _and_ satyr lingo," I joked.

Kontos continued. "Daydreams are typically associated with a lack of focus, but this potion will do the opposite, heightening your creative faculties. You should find that magic comes to you more easily," he informed us. _Then why is it called…_ "The most common side-effect is spaciness, which is where the potion gets its name." _Oh, that explains it._ "One _could_ slip their professor a dose in his morning tea, giving them extra time on their term paper while said professor is lost in fantastical reveries," he grinned and Zeph smirked knowingly at me, "but I discourage you from getting any ideas. The professors here can all recognise the signs of having consumed a daydream potion." Zeph snapped in defeat. "Now, I'll take any questions you may have before we begin brewing." I raised my hand. "A question, Mr. Dietz?"

I nodded. "Professor, what happens if you take too high a dose of a daydream potion?"

"While I appreciate your curiosity, please be advised that recreational potion-taking is strictly against school policy," he grinned down at me.

"I just want to fully understand the potion's capabilities, Professor. I promise, I don't plan on breaking any rules, but it's a good idea to know what to avoid, isn't it?" I asked, smiling back.

He nodded back at me. "Fair enough. Taking too much daydream potion can result in excessive drooling and blank staring, speaking in gibberish, and occasionally acting out the fantasies you're experiencing!" he chuckled like he'd had experience watching someone do those things. "Now, let's get brewing. First, fill your cauldron halfway with distilled rainwater, which you can find in my storage room." He showed us how to start the potion and set his cauldron on a stilt, under which he lit a small fire. The water heated up almost instantly. "As the rainwater in your cauldron begins to steam, it's time to prepare your first ingredient." He picked up an otherworldly rock with a rainbow sheen to it. "Carefully shave off five grams of your moonstone, and grind to a powder with a mortar and pestle. Finely-ground moonstone stabilises the rest of the ingredients, and improves the potion's taste and texture." As he stirred, the water turned indigo. A strong sent of fresh pastries filled the air. "A pleasant aroma should begin emanating from your potion. Simply wait for the surface to fog up before adding in two slivers of Tusk of Murphon." _What's a Murphon, I wonder…_ "Tusk of Murphon enhances focus, but the more you add, the longer and more intense this focus will be. Two slivers is plenty, as we don't want to become zombies to the outside world."

"That'd make a nice prank, though," Zeph smirked.

"Wait, are zombies real, too?" I turned to him, hoping he'd say no, but all he did was laugh and shake his head.

"No pranks in this class, Mr. Hernandez," Kontos chuckled. "You never want to anger a room full of potion-makers. I speak from experience." As he added the tusk, his potion reached a low boil. After a minute of stewing, he picked up a golden petalled flower. "Delicately pluck the dreamshade petals like so," he demonstrated, "making sure not to tear or crease them, then simply combine into your mixture." He dropped the petals into his potion and stirred, showing us as the liquid turned into pure gold and the boiling slowed. "If the rest of the steps have been followed correctly, your daydream potion should turn a golden colour once you have added the dreamshade." He turned to the class. "Now, class, please partner up. Thirty minutes should be plenty of time for you to all brew up a reasonable potion. Get concocting, be safe, and most importantly, have fun," he beamed.

"Alright! Let's cook up some daydreams!" Zeph grabbed our cauldron and skipped off to get the rainwater.

I followed after him to get the rest of the ingredients. I stood shoulder to shoulder with him as we navigated the storeroom. "What were you saying about Professor Swan before? She doesn't actually teach?"

"Yeah," he whispered. "Nobody I've talked to has ever had a class with her, and they don't know anyone else who has either." When the cauldron was half-full, we walked back to the desk. "I've heard she's in charge of the special cases here at the school, the people who have rare Attunements." He looked at me as he set the pot down. "She teaches Sun and Moon-Atts one-on-one."

"So, she kind of _is_ teaching," I clarified.

He shrugged. "But, Sky, we only have _one_ of those this year," he gestured to me, "and last year there were none. Same with the year before that, and the year before that, _and_ the year before-"

"I get it," I cut him off. "So she's only teaching me this year," I lit the fire under the cauldron. It wasn't long before the water started to steam. "Flake off five grams for me? I'll grind it up."

He nodded and started breaking off pieces of stone as we spoke. "It get's weirder. Advisors always teach their primary Attunement, but you can't primary in _both_ Sun and Moon." He measured the flakes on the scale.

"So you're saying Professor Swan broke the system?" I asked, grinding the moonstone chunks into powder. "Is it possible to have _two_ primary Attunements?"

"Some people say that, and others say she doesn't even _have_ a primary Attunement," he said as we mixed the moonstone into the water, making it turn a shade of indigo.

Zeph smiled. "It smells like blueberry pie." We stirred until the surface turned foggy.

"Step two, add the Tusk of Murphon," I smirked, the smell completely distracting me from the topic at hand.

He picked up the tusk. It was long and skinny with ornate markings seemingly carved into it. "Remember, we don't want to cut too much and turn into zombies… or do we?" he smirked. "You want to do the honours?"

"So I can take the fall if we screw this up?" I rolled my eyes playfully as I cut two slivers off of the thicker end of the tusk.

"Or take the glory if it's a success," he smiled warmly. "You've got this." I slid the shavings off of the cutting board and into the cauldron. The potion began to boil and the surface looked like glass.

"Okay, maybe we won't die today," I chuckled. After a minute, I said, "Last but not least, dreamshade."

Zeph picked the flower up from the table and handed it to me like he was asking me to dance. "The finest flower for the finest potion-making partner," he grinned widely.

"Why thank you, sir. Shall we?" I took the flower from him and gently removed the petals one by one.

He stirred as each petal hit the surface and sank. With each rotation, the potion became more and more golden. "I think we've done it."

"Damn right, we did. What do you take me for?" I joked. "Professor, could you check our potion for us?" I raised my hand, getting Kontos' attention.

He walked over to us, looked down at the potion for no more than ten seconds, then looked up at us with a wide grin. "_Very_ well done, Mr. Dietz, Mr. Hernandez. I'm exceptionally impressed. While not perfect, this would earn you both high scores on a practical exam. As such, I'm awarding you both with full marks today. Very good work." _Not perfect?_

"Thanks, Professor," I nodded thankfully at him, but bit my cheek, frustrated that it wasn't as good as it could have been.

"My report card thanks you, too," Zeph joked. When Kontos went to inspect another table, Zeph and I developed a handshake on the spot, like we'd had one for years.

"Good work today, class," Kontos said when it seemed everyone was done. "You may all leave as soon as you've cleaned up your work stations. Thank you for a wonderful first lesson."

Zeph grabbed the cauldron to go clean it, but my hand latched onto his wrist like a snake. "Wait!"

"Uh, did you want to admire our work some more?" he asked, a bit shocked.

"There's still time left. You heard the Professor. He said our potion wasn't perfect," I said, sounding a bit more desperate than I'd intended, but I _really_ didn't like being just under the bar.

"But he said we'd get high marks on it!" he objected.

"But… _perfection_," I whispered, eyes wide as I stared at the cauldron.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh my god, please tell me spending one evening with Beckett Harrington hasn't poisoned your mind."

I laughed, letting go of his wrist. "Zeph, calm down. I just think I can make it better the second time. Magic is incredible and I want to work hard at it. You don't have to help if you don't want to."

He let out a long sigh. "Fine. Suit yourself, but I hope you don't mind me taking the back seat. I'm potioned out for the day."

"Your moral support is all I need," I beamed, taking the cauldron from him to go wash it out. When I got back to the desk, I opened my textbook and cracked my knuckles. "Let's do this, Sky."

"Are you talking to yourself?" Zeph laughed.

I wrinkled my nose at him then got down to business, lending all my focus to the task. After going through step by step in the book to find out where I went wrong the first time, I carefully executed the instructions. Zeph did laugh at me a few times for talking to myself constantly, but eventually he seemed a bit bored. "Yes!" I stood up a bit quickly, making him jump. "Professor, could you look at this, please?"

He put down the book he'd been skimming and came over to inspect my new potion. "Well, Mr. Dietz, you've certainly outdone yourself. I'd say this is about as close to perfect as I've ever seen from one of my students."

"Close to perfect…," I repeated, feeling the urge to do it one more time.

"Sky, just take the compliment. He just said you're the best student he's had," Zeph snorted, trying not to erupt into laughter.

I let out a breath. "Thank you, Professor. I think I've got a knack for potion-making. It's fun."

"I'd certainly say so, though I'd definitely attribute these results to your hard work as well. I think you'll thrive in this class," he beamed.

He dismissed us and I turned to Zeph with a slight smile. "Looks like I'm going to have to start calling you Mr. Overachiever," he joked.

"A title I'll wear proudly," I held my nose high jokingly. "Help me clean up?"

"Sure," he chuckled.

After getting our desk cleaned up, we left the greenhouse and started back towards the main building. "Hey, so about Professor Swan," I started, but then I saw Griffin stop suddenly right in front of us.

"Hey, Skyler! You planning on swinging by Thief try-outs today?" he asked, looking rather pumped.

"Hold on!" Zeph freaked. "I thought they weren't for another hour!"

"They aren't," Griffin said. "I'm just helping set things up. I take it I'll be seeing you there, then?"

"For sure!" Zeph looked so excited. "Sky, why don't you give it a shot, too?"

I pursed my lips. "You two are probably going to hate me, but I've heard this 'Thief' word a few times now. Who's going to do the honour of actually telling me what it is?"

Both of their jaws dropped, but Zeph nodded to himself quickly, remembering, I assume, that I was not familiar with anything at that point.

"You don't… You don't know what Thief is?" Griffin stared in disbelief.

"Judging by your uniform, I'm going to guess that it's similar to soccer?" I said, assuming I was off by a mile. Griffin looked almost offended that I'd compare whatever sport he was talking about with the greatest and most popular sport worldwide.

"Hey, go easy on him," Zeph chuckled. "Sky's lived a pretty sheltered live so far." _You could say that._

"Less judgment. More explaining," I demanded.

After taking a second to compose himself, Griffin said, "Thief is this sport where two teams face off against each other inside a huge dome." _Alright, so like soccer…_ "You have a flag attached to a belt on your waist and if it gets stolen by the opposing team, you're out." _Maybe not soccer then… Touch football, maybe._

"You can use elemental magic to help you steal flags or protect your own," Zeph chimed in. "The last team with someone standing wins."

"Okay, yeah, that sounds like magical Touch," I nodded to myself.

"What's that?" Zeph asked, looking thoroughly confused.

"Flag football?" I tried to simplify, remembering that they were as out of the loop with my muggle things as I was with their magical things.

Griffin nodded. "Thief _is_ loosely based on flag football, but improvised dramatically because, well you know, magic."

"You should definitely try out, Sky!" Zeph almost jumped at the idea. "Thief is like… Imagine the coolest video game you've ever played, but a million times better. The perfect fusion of sports and magic."

"The terrain shifts throughout the match, so depending on your Attunement, you'll have advantages and disadvantages," Griffin continued.

"And Penderghast has one of the best cheering sections around," Zeph beamed. "I can't wait to hear 'All Hail the Fighting Dryxmars' chanted by a full stadium!"

"Our team is second to none," Griffin raved. "Three-time league champs, and we just won last year, when I was a first year."

I grinned at their enthusiasm. "That all sounds awesome, but do you really think that I could play this epic sport of yours? On your epic team, no less?"

"You've given me no reason to think that you couldn't," Griff said. "And I don't think the team's ever had a Sun-Att on it before either."

"Oh great, no pressure then," I smirked. After a moment of looking between their pleading faces, I agreed. "Okay, okay! I'll go to try-outs. With all the crazy stuff going on, I think I deserve to take the morning off to have some fun anyway."

"YES!" Zeph actually jumped. "Okay, I have to go get ready. I'm gonna try to fit in some last-minute practice outside the dorms. See you later, guys!" he bounded off up the hill towards the residence hall.

"Um, there's still one big issue with me going to try-outs," I said, turning back to Griffin. "I've never played Thief before."

He waved me off. "We've got a lot of people trying out who barely know the basics. It's easy to pick up, so don't worry too much," he put his hand on my shoulder. "Although, I _have_ been a starter on the team since last year. I might know a thing or two that could help you out. If you're up for a little one-on-one practice, that is."

I chuckled. "I'm down, but I don't think I'll be able to do much with magic as basic as mine."

"Actually," he said, "familiars are allowed at try-outs, since most first years are in the same boat. Plus, how you work with your familiar gives us a sense of how you handle teamwork." As if on cue, Bobby jumped out of nowhere and began skipping energetically around my feet. "Looks like someone's excited. I'm sure he'd love the extra playtime, and I'd love to show you how fun Thief is. By the sound of it, fun's exactly what you and the little guy could use right now, so what do you say?"

I picked Bobby Drake up, scratching behind his ear as I held him. "I'll take you up on that," I smiled.

"Great! Then let's head to the arena," he led the way to the stadium across campus. It was a large field that looked like a soccer field, but was divided into four sections and was twice the size. At two of the corners farthest from each other, there were large summoning circles.

"I feel like I'm in the middle of some sort of ritual," I stared at how large the field was. "What are the runes in the corners for?"

"They're the wards that let the terrain change. That's also the starting zone," he explained. "There's another over there," he pointed across the field. "Each team begins the match in their respective zones and, once the terrain shifts, they set off looking for each other." He took a deep breath then smiled warmly, finally relaxing his features. "I'd call this place my home away from home, but since that's technically my dorm, this is more like my home away from home away from home," he chortled at my expression. "Anyway, let's get down to business," he jumped a few times to get his blood pumping. "I'm gonna teach you the three basics any half-decent Thief player should know."

"Intense. I'm ready, coach," I joked. Bobby howled and jumped off my shoulder, mimicking the high-knees Griffin had just shown off. "I guess we're _both _ready."

He beamed down at my cute little friend, but when he looked back at me, his focus was strong. "One: protect your flag with your life," he handed me a belt with a flag tied around it, not breaking eye contact for a second. I took it with the same urgency he gave it to me and fastened it onto my waist. "Two: use the terrain to your advantage," he held up two fingers.

"Alright, what's next?" I inquired.

"Three: be stealthy," he gave a quick smirk before pulling a lever in what appeared to be a referee box. In an instant, the field disappeared and gave way to luscious trees and foliage.

I took a step backwards in my shock and nearly tripped over a bush. "Holy shit! Are we in some kind of sci-fi movie?!"

Griffin laughed. "Oh, these aren't holograms. This is all real. Immersive, huh?" he did a quick spin with his arms out, gesturing to the woods. It seemed to stretch on for quite a distance. I wondered if we went all the way out to the edge, would we end up outside of the stadium? "Now, the best Thief players are the ones that utilize their terrain to help them steal their opponents' flags." He walked nearly 25 feet from me before turning around. "Let's start easy. Try using your magic and the terrain to steal my flag," he gestured to the cloth on his belt. "I won't put up a defence. I just want to see what you can do with Bobby's help."

I looked around again, identifying whatever I could to assist me. "Use the elements, huh? Piece of cake." I closed my eyes, imagining what I could do, but unsure of how it would even work. I may have been an Air-Att, but using it was a whole different thing than just knowing I was one. "Alright, Bobby, let's do this," I opened my eyes and stared confidently down at him. He gave me a howl then did a quick spin before staring up at me with the same determination. I nodded and took a deep breath as I felt his power flow into me. "Oh, wow." I shifted my focus to Griffin and his surroundings. I extended my hand. In a matter of seconds, a cyclone began forming around him, keeping him trapped.

"Holy crap!" he looked around for a way out, but there wasn't one. As the wind began to die down, it slipped the flag from his belt and sent it floating towards me. I skipped over to meet it, snatching it from the air with a smirk. He beamed proudly. "Nice work thinking out of the box. It's an element that can be used in almost any terrain, but most people forget about it."

I knelt down and let Bobby teleport into my arms. "That was almost too easy. With you by my side, this'll be a total _breeze_." He yipped and licked my cheek.

The terrain began to change again, sending us to a different forest. A creek appeared close to Griffin's feet. "Okay, same idea, but this time _you'll_ be on the defensive. Use the elements to stop me before I get your flag," he instructed then jogged to a safe starting distance. His pace was slower as he came back towards me, giving me time to think. The obvious choice would have been wood, but he said it was better to be spontaneous.

"Ready, Bobby?" I gave him a nod and he nodded back. "Let's do this." When I felt his power in my veins again, I focused on the creek. In seconds, a fountain-like spray of water shot up and connected with Griffin's face, making him stumble and wipe at his eyes. "You look like a fish out of water there, Griff," I joked.

We both laughed. "Well, that's one way to do it. Nice work, Sky." The terrain changed once more and we were back in the stadium.

"Over already?" I asked, not wanting the fun to end. Bobby whined sadly then disappeared.

"While I'd like to teach you a little bit more, the captain's gonna want to get the place ready for try-outs soon," he explained.

I smiled to myself. "You know, I'm not really sporty, but I think I'm going to like this Thief thing."

He let out a quick laugh. "I'm glad you like it. You showed me some real skill just now."

I smirked. "So you're saying I'm a natural."

He rolled his eyes playfully. "I'm saying you have the right instincts for Thief. Practice hard and you could become a star player," he praised. "I think you'll make the varsity team, no problem." A loud chime echoed off the metal walls of the dome. "Shoot! It's later than I thought!"

"But nobody's hear yet. We just have to wait for them to show up, right?" I looked around at the still empty field.

"Actually, I have to make a pitstop first," he said, "and if you're going to try out, you should probably change into something more athletic." I looked down, realising I was wearing my knit sweater and nice jeans, not to mention Tims were not the right shoes for sports. "I know where you can find the right gear. Come with me."

"Wait, where are we going?" I asked, following on his heel.

"Where else? Penn Square, of course," he shrugged. "Plus, knowing Aster, she's probably expecting you. I wouldn't be surprised if she already has a jersey picked out for you."

"I'd be surprised about all of those things. Why would she-," I tried to ask, but he was already exiting the arena. I chased after him and followed him to his dorm, where we took the door to Penn Square's main circle.

The street was filled with people. A group of little kids were chasing each other with screaming balloons, and sparks that smelt like fruitcake shot out of a booth on the curb. My eye followed one up, but got distracted by a guy flying overhead on a _skateboard._

"Come on!" I barely heard over the deafening crowd. Griffin was on the other side of the mass of shoppers, waving at me. I navigated my way over to him through the people and caught up just in time to hear him say, "I need to get some new belts and flags. There are always a handful of people who show up to try-outs without them."

"I thought you were a player. Are you the team manager, too?" I asked, distracted by literally everything around me.

"Unofficially, yeah. I just like to keep things running smoothly for the team," he shrugged. "I take Thief pretty seriously, in case you haven't noticed."

I was finally walking in step with him. "Oh, I noticed," I smirked. "Did you attend Penderghast just for the Thief team?"

He nodded. "Playing Thief for Penderghast is one of my childhood dreams come true, but there was more to it than Thief," his grin faded a bit. "I was also really interested in their Natural Sciences program."

"You did tell me about that before," I recalled my first time in the lost and found room.

"I want to get into natural disaster relief, and that means learning as much about the elements as I can," his grin was back and wide as ever.

I elbowed his arm. "An athlete and an academic. You must be pretty popular, too, right?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I am. My parents want me to become a pro Thief player. They're pretty much my biggest fans, but sometimes it's just too much."

"What do they think about the Natural Sciences thing?"

His face dropped. "Whenever I try to talk to them about it, they just stop listening. I love Thief, but I don't see myself doing it forever. I've always wanted to help people, and natural disaster relief just speaks to me." I put my hand on his shoulder to comfort him as we walked. "Anyway," he forced his smile back, "I've got to do well on the team to keep my scholarship, and I enjoy the game, so it's not like I have that much to complain about."

"You're pretty inspiring. Doing what you love, but still making plans for the future," I said.

"Really? I don't feel like I'm doing anything all that great, or cool, or anything," he looked over at me.

I nodded eagerly. "You're imagining what type of future will make _you_ happy. That's a really big deal. Some of us haven't figured that out yet." I sighed. "When I started college, I was just going through the motions. I felt so dull and uninspired."

"You don't still feel like that now, do you?" he stopped and turned to me.

I shrugged. "I still don't really know where this journey is taking me, but I want to find out at least now. And seeing you so excited for the future makes me look forward to figuring out what my next move will be." I looked around and realised we were just outside of Aster's shop.

Griffin pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "I'll just be a few doors down getting those belts and flags. I'll meet you out here in a bit."

I nodded and ducked nervously into the shop. Aster was behind the counter, jumping up and down and waving her hand at a flock of small owls flying just out of her reach.

"Simon! Rosie! Sir Gladion! Please, not when you're moulting!" she fussed. "You're getting feathers all over the floor!" I watched some of those feathers hit the ground, each landing with a thunk. Two of the owls hooted at her before settling onto a lower shelf, but one of them kept giving her the run around, eventually landing on her head and cosying into her flowers.

"What are those feathers made out of?" I asked, noticing that the owls didn't quite look like normal owls.

She spun around quickly, grinning from ear to ear. "Hello, Skyler! You came just in time to meet my new wooden owl friends," she stroked the back of one of the shelved one's head with her finger. "All of them but Sir Gladion are hatchlings, so they're a handful, but I know you're really here to buy your Thief uniform," she smiled knowingly at me.

"How did… How did you know that?" I asked. "Griffin said you would, but _how_?"

"I have ways of seeing far and wide," her flowers seemed more radiant as her playful smile lingered. "And when I saw you coming here, I found myself standing in front of the clothing racks with a clear image in my mind of exactly what you needed."

I cocked my head, curious about how all that worked. "Right, well, you're going to have to enlighten me on that one."

She laughed, which sounded like nature's purest music. She lifted her arm, letting the owl shuffle out of her hair and perch on her wrist. She guided it up to the shelf to be with its family. "Follow me. I have just what you're looking for this way." She walked around the counter and led me into a corner section of the shop with several clothing racks.

"I actually wanted to see you," I started. "I've been wanting to take another look at your shop."

She spun around quickly. "Oh? I didn't sense that when I felt your energy approaching." She grinned. "What a pleasant surprise. I'm happy to see you as well. It feels warmer when you're here, like the sun shining on my face." Griffin had said something similar to me on my first day. _I guess Kontos was right about my affect on people._ She pulled a yellow uniform with black stripes down from the rack. "This should do the trick. I magically reinforced all the seams, so this should be durable enough to last all season."

I took the uniform from her hands when she held it out to me. "I should get some serious brownie points for showing up in this, huh?" I joked.

"Brownie points?" she cocked her head curiously. "If you mean, 'the captain will regard me quite highly, and also be enthused that I'm the first Sun-Attuned trying out in recent history,' then yes, you will get the brownie points," she beamed proudly before turning me around and pushing me into a small wooden cubicle with a curtain, urging me to get dressed.

The uniform fit quite nicely. What was surprising was that there was already a sun imprinted on each sleeve, like Griffin's jersey had a rock for his Earth Attunement. I did a few stretches and looked myself over before sliding the curtain back for the big reveal. "Aster, this is really comfortable. It looks good, too. Thank you so much."

She clapped her hands and tiptoed excitedly. "I'm so glad you like it!" I noticed her eyes trailing me. "They say it is difficult to pull off athletic wear, but you do it wonderfully. It makes me wish I could come see you in action."

I followed her to the counter. "How should I pay for this? Last time you said that my Attuneless money wasn't worth anything…"

She shook her head, making the flowers and leaves around her ears rustle. "It isn't worth anything to me, but I can sell it and it's always interesting to see the different forms of currency."

"I mean, I guess if it's okay," I pulled out a few bills and handed them to her.

"Oh! I didn't know Attuneless money came with _this_ number on them!" she beamed giddily down at my payment. "I can't wait to add them to my collection!" _So it's just a trade, huh?_ I chuckled to myself. "Please come again soon, Skyler."

"Definitely," I agreed.

"Oh, but in the meantime, please be alert," she added.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Alert? Why?"

"It's just that there's been a bit of unrest among the wood nymphs and sometimes I can… sense…," her eyes went dark like the first time I'd met her. It seemed like she was staring straight through me.

"Aster?" I asked, taking a step towards her. Her mouth hung open slightly, but her body was exceptionally still. "Are you alright?"

Her mouth began to move slowly as she spoke in a hushed tone. "Whispers among the trees. Unpleasant tidings that I don't understand." Her face was emotionless as her voice crescendoed. "They are afraid. Their branches shrink. There is a blight in the air. They do not like it. Some recognise it. This place!"

"What place?" I asked, taking another step forward.

Her hands slammed down on her side of the counter, her lips pulling into a snarl. I didn't even flinch. Her eyes were so dark and far away that I felt hypnotised. "The Attuned breed cruelty and destruction. Foul magic that sours, and poisons, and leaves pain in its wake. I feel it in my bark, my branches. A magic fouler than any before looms! The trees can sense its imminence, and cower at its might!" She looked up and stared _at_ me, not _through_ me. "Skyler, you must… you… ugh," she groaned and held a hand to her head before she collapsed onto the counter.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Spook Factor

Aster laid limp over the counter. At first, I couldn't move. I was still stuck in a bit of a trance from the look in her eyes as she attempted to warn me about… something…

"Aster?" I put my hand on her shoulder when I finally snapped out of it. "Aster," I shook her gently, not wanting to hurt her, but just enough to wake her. The owls screeched and flew in circles above us. "Oh god, what do I do?" I looked around, trying to find something… or someone… anything that could help.

Aster groaned, getting my full attention again as she weakly pushed herself back onto her feet. "That was… a strong one. I think I need to sit down."

"I'll say. What just happened?" I asked, taking her arm and helping her wobble over to the stairs just a few meters away. I squatted down in front of her as she sat and rubbed at her eyes with her other hand. "Is there anything I can do to help? Should I go _get_ help? Do you need a glass of water?"

She smiled weakly down at me. "I'll be fine. My branching is rarely ever that intense. I just need a few minutes."

"Branching? So that's what this is. Is it kind of like fortune telling?" I asked, now understanding that it's how she knew I was coming, and it explained the zoning out she'd done the last time I was in her shop.

She fidgeted with a flower near her ear that refused to reopen. "That's not quite it," she spoke slowly and with many pauses. "Branching refers to my ability… to extend my awareness into the trees around me… to see and hear what they do. It's how I can tap into the discussions that are always happening in the natural world around us. I've been able to do it for some time, but," she closed her eyes and her hands rushed to her forehead, as if hit with another spell of dizziness.

I didn't know what to do to help. "This 'branching'… it looks like it hurts. It can't be safe to do something that takes so much out of you, can it?"

Her hands slowly fell from her face. "Just as Attuned must be careful not to attempt magic beyond their abilities, wood nymphs must be aware of our boundaries when branching," she explained. "It's difficult to extend your consciousness outside of your own body. Dangerous, too, to untether yourself from your physical form like that," she paused with a frown. "I overreached just now."

"I don't mean to pry, but do you zone out like that a lot?" I asked. "You did it the last time I was here, too."

A shiver ran through her body and her leaves drooped, the flowers losing vibrancy. "Sometimes the trees want to show me things, so they draw _me_ into _them_ so that I can see what they're seeing," she sat up, seeming to feel a little better physically. "It can be difficult to understand them, since they primarily communicate through sight and feelings, and they rarely try to speak to me like they did just now, since I don't know their ancient language."

I caught her eye and had to ask, "Aster, that… vision, or whatever that was just now… At the end, it seemed like you were trying to warn _me_ about something."

She rubbed the back of her neck and worked her way up to her temples, wincing at the touch. "I'm not sure what I said to you just now. The trees' emotions were so strong that I felt them taking over me, but now they're all muddled. I can sense that much is troubling you, though," she opened her eyes and stared at me like she could see my soul. "Your energy is restless. Perhaps my message had to do with that? Oh, I'm being no help at all!" she lightly tapped her fist against her thigh.

"Aster, don't worry about it. I'm more concerned about you right now," I said, putting my hand on her arm. "You literally just passed out. There's no need to push yourself."

She smiled gently. "You're too kind, Skyler. I can see why you're Sun-Attuned. Warmth just radiates off of you." She tried to stand up, but she was still unsteady. "Please don't worry about me. I'm already feeling much better," she lied. I could tell by the expressively sad flowers that framed her face.

"You don't have to get up yet," I took her arm to hold her up, since she was so determined to stand.

"I'm fine," she smiled again, but it wasn't her usual glowing smile. "However… Well, I'm not sure if this will be any help, but I have been studying the ancient tree language. I think I recognised a word just now, perhaps two," she propped herself against the wall as she took a step down to my level. "It didn't quite make sense to me, but they may help you better understand what's happening in your life."

"I guess I could really use some answers about… well, _everything _that's been happening these last few days," I sighed.

She nodded. "I'll have to strain a bit to remember exactly what the trees were trying to say, but I should be okay. I'd really like to help you if I can."

I hesitated for a moment. "Alright, but don't push yourself."

She nodded again, this time with a real smile gracing her lips. She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. Her eyes were dark again when they opened. "I can almost recall… Yes!" she stumbled a bit and I threw my arm out to catch her.

"Are you okay?" I asked, hoping she wouldn't make herself faint again.

Her eyes lightened as she looked up at me. "I'm fine, Skyler. The trees that I branched through were at the edge of a vast, grassy plain. Rolling hills stretched for leagues all around!" her flowers seemed to glow with excitement and the leaves on her arms danced.

I smiled slightly at how happy the thought made her. "Is that important or just a warm image?" I looked down at my arms and noticed I was still holding her up. When she was stable, I took a step back.

"Oh, yes," she giggled a bit. "I believe that these trees wanted to communicate with me _because_ something terrible was going to happen there," she said, more serious now. "They tried to speak to me, but the connection was strained and muddled. I'm certain I kept hearing the word 'blood' through it all, though."

"Well, that's ominous," I furrowed my brow.

"The second was a word I'm less familiar with, but the trees repeated it enough that I should be able to find it," she walked around me to the bookshelf the owls were perched on and pulled out a thick, old tome. She fingered through the pages until finding the page she wanted then traced her index finger down the thin column of words. "Yes, here it is. 'Fragment.' It came up a few times, but that means very little to me," her leaves drooped again as she frowned. "As I feared, I wasn't helpful at all, was I?"

"Um, no! You were a lot of help," I stammered, not wanting her to feel useless or anything. "I really appreciate your help, even if I'm not sure what it means yet. If anything, I should apologise for being nosy when you're so worn out."

"Not at all!" she beamed. "Truthfully, I've made children cry by branching in front of them, so your curiosity is refreshing!"

"I can't help it. Your power is fascinating!" I smiled excitedly. "The fogy eyes are a bit off-putting at first…," I mumbled. She laughed properly, her leaves dancing with delight. "Everything you… feel, or hear, when you branch like that, the trees tell you?"

"Yes," she said, her glowing smile making me feel warm and fuzzy. "All wood nymphs can branch," which essentially means we can see through the trees, as they are a part of us, and we are a part of their forest."

"When did you develop your ability?" I asked.

"All wood nymphs develop it as soon as we can wiggle our roots, which marks our transition from stationary saplings to mobile nymphs," she explained, but only gave me more questions. "I was about five years old," she grinned proudly.

I smiled back at her, thinking about what a wood nymph sapling would look like. The image I concocted was precious. "Little Aster must have been adorable."

She giggled. "My parents say I was a troublemaker. I used my branching to cheat during games of Nymph or Gnome with the other young nymphs."

"I don't blame you. Branching would definitely come in handy during Hide and Seek," I chuckled.

Her hand met my upper arm. "You must tell me about this game sometime. Human pastimes fascinate me. I just love learning. There's so much knowledge to gather from the world," she grinned. "I hope to be accepted into Penderghast's cultural exchanged program next year, so I can learn more about Attuned magic."

"Penderghast has a cultural exchange program?" I asked, though it did make sense with all the different types of people I'd seen since arriving on campus.

She nodded enthusiastically. "It was started by Professor Kontos of the Natural Sciences department, following his graduate studies at the college. I've read all his works."

"You sound perfect for the program then," I returned her energy, but her face fell.

"That's what I told my parents… They don't approve of me attending Penderghast, but," she shook her negative thoughts away, "I've already submitted my application, and if I get accepted they won't be able to stop me."

"Why don't your parents approve?" I asked.

She looked up at the owls. "There is… history… between the wood nymphs and the Attuned that stretches back to the Wand Wars…"

"That sounds pretty dark. Do you want to talk about it?"

"It was long before my time. My grandfather had not yet rooted and my father was young," she explained. "I was raised to be wary of your kind, but you don't all seem bad. I've met several of you while running this shop, and while all Attuned are a little odd, you seem pleasant enough."

"Oh thanks," I chuckled. "I think it'd be really cool to have a wood nymph on campus. You could learn Attuned magic and we could learn about nymph magic."

She gasped. "My father might uproot me from our forest and transplant me elsewhere if I ever taught any of our magic to you Attuned," she narrowed her eyes slyly. "Then again, what he doesn't know won't hurt him, as you Attuned are so fond of saying."

"Wouldn't you be seen if you did it on campus? You know, the trees and all…," I questioned, but then returned her sly grin. "_But_… if you taught me something inside a building… like… I don't know… here, you could probably get away with it."

"How positively taboo!" she squealed excitedly. "I'd be honoured to teach you." She pointed to a small potted plant with three pink flower buds on the counter. "Here."

"Oh, are you going to teach me to make it bloom?" I asked, rather excited about this new experience.

"Precisely!" she giggled. "It's quite easy. You just have to let it hear your heart song, and give it the encouragement it needs to grow." She leaned over the flower and whispered to it. "How are you doing, little friend? It's plenty warm today, and with Skyler here, the air tastes like sunlight! Wouldn't you like to wake up?" The bud shook a bit, but then gladly opened to peek out at the room. At my look of confusion, she explained, "Wood nymph magic isn't about casting. It's about working together, all parties nurturing each other. The warmer your heart, the more radiant your magic."

"Okay… Well, here goes nothing," I said, leaning over the plant. "Hey there, little one. I hope you like my, uh, sun energy. Wanna spread those pretty pedals of yours and photosynthesize?" I whispered. The second flower shivered and flew open, doubling in size and turning a bright turquoise. It let out a squeal of sorts as it bloomed. My eyes went wide and darted from the flower to Aster, who was shocked.

"It seems that you just turned it into a different species of flower entirely!" her expression softened. "Our magical foundations may be too different to fully grasp each other's methods of spellwork," she giggled.

"Fascinating!" I stared in awe at the flower, making a mental note of what I'd just done, though it was an accident. I suppose the best discoveries are.

Aster looked towards the window near the door, the leaves in her hair rustling as if a sudden breeze had swept over them. "Oh, I've just seen through the trees. Your friend is on his way back and is eager to return to school."

"Oh," I turned to look at the window, too.

"Best of luck with your try-outs, Skyler. And thank you for spending time with me," she was beaming when I turned back around.

"I guess you'll know from the trees whether I make the team or not," I smiled

"I believe in you. Do your best, follow your heart, and the path ahead will be clear to travel," she encouraged.

I nodded a curt thanks. "I'll see you later, Aster." I walked out of the shop after she waved with a bright smile. Griffin grabbed my arm and led me back down the street.

It didn't take us long to get back to the stadium. Several people had already gathered on the side of the field, including Zeph, who was waving at me like I couldn't see him. "Hey, Sky! Good luck, but don't be mad when I kick your butt!" I chuckled.

"You really know how to cut it close, don't you, Langley?" I grumpy looking upperclassman trudged over to us. He had eyes like sharp glass. "I thought you were flaking on me." Griffin held up the belts and was about to respond, but the guy just waved him off. "Don't wanna hear it. Just give me the flags and I'll let you get back to chilling with whoever your friend is." He eyed me disdainfully, but then froze. "No way. You're the first year Sun-Att I've heard about!" his eyes shot open. "The only one at Penderghast in, like, a hundred years or something!"

"So I've been told," I shrugged.

"Skyler Dietz, this is Everett Merkseyer, our Captain," Griffin introduced us.

The big guy suddenly had a new attitude. "The team's never had a Sun-Att on it before. I hope you do well, and not just because it'll look good for me to have you on the field."

"You'd be lucky to have me," I huffed, not really liking his attitude towards my friend. "You'd just better hope that when I make the cut, I like Thief enough to stick around."

Sadly, I'd… _impressed_ him… "Confident. You remind me of me, Diez, and I respect that." It took all of my self-control to not groan out loud. "And I doubly respect that jersey. I like your spirit. We'll be starting in five. I look forward to seeing what you can do out there, Freshie," he snatched the flags from Griffin and trotted off.

"It's _Dietz _not _Diez,_" I hissed at the spot he'd just left. When he was out of earshot, I let out the groan I was holding in. "He's a bit much, isn't he?" I looked over at my friend, who had looked a bit frustrated just a few seconds earlier.

"Sorry about that. That's the captain for you. The best thing to do when he gets worked up is just let him run out of steam," he suggested. "So heads up for when you're on the team."

I sighed, trying to release any negative energy I had. The other students trying out were warming up with their familiars and practicing spells. "What's with the magic? I thought try-outs hadn't started yet."

"Plenty of players use Air magic for speed and agility boosts during games. It's totally legal, so it's become common during try-outs, too," he explained, leading me over to the others.

"Too bad I can't do anything like that yet," I bit the inside of my cheek, pondering my options to keep up with them. A yip caught my attention as Bobby Drake appeared by my leg and began dancing around me. "Luckily, I've got you, right bud?" I squatted down to rub under his chin. "What do you say, ready to give me a hand out there?" He yipped again and ran in a few circles before stopping in front of me with his purple tongue hanging out. "You're so precious," I mumbled, scratching between his ears.

"Having Bobby on your side will give you extra options to get through each round," Griffin agreed.

After a few more minutes, the captain blew his whistle, calling for us to gather in the ward circle in the corner. Griffin handed out belts, stopping in front of me with a grin. "I know you don't need any luck from me because you'll totally kick butt out there, but good luck anyway. Can't wait to have you on the team." I smirked, trying to feel as confident in myself as he seemed to be in me.

I tied the belt around my waist and nodded. "Thanks. I hope I live up to your expectations."

"Alright, here's how try-outs are gonna go," the captain announced. "There'll be a series of rounds to test you on various skills essential to Thief. You'll be facing off against each other, so pretend this is a match and keep your cool. I'll be watching from the stands." Griffin nodded at us then followed the captain over to the stands. As the dome began to close, his voice echoed around us. "In a real match, teams would start on opposite sides of the arena, but you won't have a team to strategize with today. Things will reset each round, so don't worry too much about losing your flag. I just want to see what you can do." There was a moment of silence as the ward began to glow. "Everybody, ready!" He blew his whistle and the terrain shifted to an open field filled with flowers. Nowhere to hide... we were all in plain sight of each other. I looked around at my opponents.

"May the best Attuned win," Zeph smiled at me, but his eyes were cold. He wanted this and wasn't afraid to go against his friend. As he should be.

"Don't get your hopes up, fresh meat," one of the upperclassmen sneered at him.

"I want to get a feel for your close-range skills here," the captaings voice was still strong like he was standing right in front of us. "The next five minutes are an all-out melee. Protect your flag with all you've got. Ready?" he paused suspensefully. "Go!" he shouted.

Right on cue, two players ran towards me, eyes on my flag.

"This one's mine! Get your own target!" one shouted at the other.

"Big talk from someone who isn't gonna make the team!" she shouted back at him.

"Well, this escalated quickly," I said, looking around. Running wasn't going to be an option. They'd just catch me. This was going to be a defensive battle. I looked down at Bobby. As if he understood just by my look, he disappeared and reappeared on my shoulder, his magic flowing through me instantly. I threw my hand up, summoning a cyclone like I had during practice with Griffin. The twister picked up flowers and dirt, flinging debris everywhere as it tore through the field towards the two players.

"Dive!" the girl shouted. They both rolled to either side of the tornado, barely missing it. I twitched my finger, redirecting it at her. Scrambling to their feet, they took off, giving me the opportunity to do the same.

"It's too fast! I'm not gonna make it!" the boy cried, trying to dodge again. _Very cool._

I took the opportunity to gain some distance from everyone. Bobby teleported to the ground to run beside me as the terrain changed. This time we were in an old underground labyrinth. The air was stale and damp.

"Some terrains work against us, amplifying any sound we make," the captain said. "This round, I want you to be stealthy. Sneak up on your opponents and steal their flags."

With Bobby back on my shoulder, I walked cautiously down the dank hallway, my steps echoing on the wet floor. I came to an intersection and peered around the corner. There was another player looking around anxiously.

"This is way too much like the catacombs from _Double Undead Zombie's Wrath_," she mumbled, but it echoed around the corners. She turned to walk farther down the hall she was in.

_This is my chance. I can do this_. I used my new Air magic to control a draft strong enough to unloop her flag from her belt, letting it drift back to me without a sound. _That was AWESOME!_ Shortly after I stole her flag, it disappeared from my hand and the terrain changed again. It was a forest this time. Birds chirped overhead and sunlight streamed through the trees.

"For this round," Captain said, "I want to see you use your magic to capture each other's flags. This is where you can be flashy. Impress me."

Bobby hopped off my shoulder and jogged beside again me as we made our way through the trees. We ended up in a clearing, which I admit now was a bit dangerous. I could hear footsteps behind me. I spun around, my hand gripped tightly around where my flag was attached to my belt.

The girl from the open field was in front of me. "You're still in this?" she seemed shocked as she skidded to a stop only a few meters from me. After a moment of us staring at each other, she began to back up slowly towards the trees she'd popped out from.

I smirked. "You're not running away, are you?"

She scoffed and switched to the offensive. "Ha. Fresh Meat's gutsier than he looks. Don't tell me you're looking for a showdown."

"That's the point, isn't it? These try-outs are nothing but a standoff," I kept my smirk. "May the best Attuned win."

"The last guy I beat said the same thing, but if you think you can do better, by all means," she said cockily.

"You shouldn't have said that," I chortled, eyeing her flag. I looked at Bobby and he jumped into his own offensive stance. When I felt his magic flowing through me, I sprinted at her, jumping just before we collided. I did some strange flip that I hadn't intended, but it was very cool, and landed behind her, snatching the flag from her belt.

"Hey, give it back!" she shrieked, stretching her hand out to me.

I twirled it tauntingly like a cheerleader. "If you want it, come get it." She lunged forward angrily, but I jumped back, easily avoiding her attack as the wind carried me farther and farther away from her until all I could see of the clearing were the trees blocking it. When I landed, I knelt down and held out a hand to Bobby and, amazingly, he high-fived me without a single command.

We jogged off into the trees to search for a new opponent. The terrain changed once more, putting us in a swampy area. I could hear the chirping of the birds turn into the caws of a crow. To keep him from getting his paws muddy, I pulled Bobby onto my shoulder. We trekked for a while before everything became covered in a dense fog. _Where is everyone?_ A splash made me spin around at lightning speed. A puddle of water nearby rippled, but it didn't seem like anyone was there. Something in the reflection seemed off. I took a step towards it, looking down into the murky water. "Holy shit!" I took a step back when I saw the same guy I'd seen previously in mirrors. He reached towards me, but I wasn't going to stick around to find out what he had in mind. I tried to step backwards, but I fell. It was only then that I'd realised he'd almost gotten hold of my ankle. Bobby jumped in front of me and snarled protectively. My reflection was startled and suddenly disappeared. _What the fuck?!_ My heart was pounding in my ears. The only thing able to break me away from my downward spiral of thoughts was the piercing sound of the captain's whistle. The forest disappeared and the Thief arena returned.

Every student seemed a bit out of place when we reappeared, some falling to the ground, some in strange poses. The whistle blew again and the captain stood up. "Alright, I've seen enough to make my decision. When I call your name, come up to the stands and I'll let you know if you've made the cut."

"Hold on a second… what… what the hell was that?" I looked back towards the spot where the puddle had been, but it was just grass. Bobby turned around and cocked his head at me, worried. I noticed all the stares a while after I should have. I looked at Griffin. "You were watching from the stands. Did you see any of that?"

The captain sighed. "Freshie, getting freaked out is part of the game. You're gonna have to get used to it."

"But that wasn't-," I started, feeling rage build up, but then I stopped. It wasn't something I needed to tell them. I needed to talk to Zeph and Shreya. I let out a deep breath and pulled myself off the ground, looking down at Bobby. "You believe me, don't you?" I asked quietly, just to be sure I wasn't crazy. He rubbed up against my leg. "Thanks, boy," I scratched under his chin. He licked my hand before disappearing.

While I was talking to Bobby, Captain had turned his attention to the rest of the students, calling them up one by one to get their results. Finally, he called me up. He flipped through the sheets on his clipboard, his feet propped up on the chair in front of him. He set the clipboard down and looked up at me. "Okay, damn. Where have you been all my life? It almost hurts my pride to say this, but the team _needs_ you." He sat up straight and grinned. "What I'm saying is, congrats. You made varsity."

"Oh, um, thank you. That's great," I faked being excited, a bit uneasy still.

"Look, I get that you were kinda spooked by that last terrain, but don't worry," he said. "We practice terrain preparedness extensively. You can expect an official practice schedule by the end of the week. I'm glad to have you on the team, Diez. Not many first years have the honour." He held out his hand.

"It's _Dietz_," I pursed my lips, "not _Diez_. Dietz is German and Diez is Spanish." I shook his hand begrudgingly, wondering if he'd ever figure out my name.

"Okay, whatever," he shrugged. It wasn't long before his attention was on the next person, which was fine by me. "Next up, Zephyr Hernandez!"

I left the stadium and leaned against one of the grand columns just outside the main door. There were four tall columns, each supporting a golden dryxmar, the school's mascot. The bases of each column were solid gold as well, and the four of them bordered a grassy square with the school's seal stamped down in a golden circle, like a wax seal on an old letter.

I let out a deep breath, trying to understand what had happened in the last terrain, as I waited for Zeph. I needed to tell him. That reflection of mine was really creeping me out… and he'd _grabbed_ me this time. I heard footsteps and my eyes darted up from my feet to find Zeph looking rather defeated.

"There's one dream up in smoke," he mumbled to himself. "Classic Zeph, couldn't make the cut."

I frowned as I walked over to him. "Oh no. Not _more_ bad news…"

He looked up urgently, apparently not realising that I'd been waiting for him. He forced a smile as if I hadn't seen his disappointment already. "Captain told me the news. Congrats! I knew you'd make it if you tried out," his smile didn't faulter, but his eyes showed his jealousy. "And varsity, too! I only made JV, but oh well, right? I shouldn't have bought this special jersey," he let out a forced laugh. "I can't believe I was so sure I'd get onto varsity. Stupid, right?"

I sighed. "Zeph…," the longer I stared at him, the more effort it took him to maintain his façade. "My spot should be yours. Thief is _your_ thing. I just kind of fell into it."

"Don't worry about it," he waved me off. "I'm used to my best being second best by now." I was going to object to his negativity, but he shook himself back into a smile. "I still got a flag during try-outs! My abuela would be so proud." He turned back towards the stadium doors and his face finally fell. "I honestly don't know why I'm so surprised I didn't make it. It's not like-," he caught himself and forced another awkward smile as he turned back around. "Sorry. It's really not a big deal. It just hurts a little bit in the moment, you know? I'll be over it by dinner."

I could feel my heart sinking from his self-deprivation. I pulled him into a hug, and after a moment, he let himself relax into it. "Zeph, why don't we go get lunch? We don't have to talk about anything in particular, just something to cheer you up."

He pushed me away, his smile looking a bit more real, but not enough. "I'm totally fine! I was gonna head up to my next class early and get a bit of extra studying in anyway. You know, keep ahead of the curve." His eyes met mine, looking like a drowned puppy. "I'll see you later, Sky."

Before he could turn away from me, I grabbed his shoulder. "Nope. You're my friend, Zeph, and I'm not going to let you be alone when you obviously feel this bad. Especially since it's sort of my fault."

His eyebrows shot up. "It's not! It's me, not you. You were great!" he looked down. "Besides, I'm being totally uncool right now. You do _not_ want to hear me start whining."

"I don't likr repeating myself, Zeph," I spun him towards the stairs and looped my arm with his. "Come on, let's go get something to eat." He was reluctant at first, but he eventually let me help.

We took our seats in the dining hall with heaping plates of food, mine filled with things I hadn't even tried before but was willing to try just to cheer him up with my weird reactions. He slouched in his seat, staring at his food, and let out a long sigh.

"Hey, I know try-outs meant a lot to you, and I hate seeing you this down, but I can't help but wonder if this is about more than just Thief," I eyed him from across the small round table. "Some of the stuff you said about not being surprised and seeming uncool makes me think that there's something else going on."

He sighed again. "It's just… I'm used to not being the best in class. I try hard, but sometimes it's not enough," he frowned. "I've made my peace with that, but when it comes to outside the classroom, usually I'm so _good_ at stuff like teamwork, sports, and making friends, so I figured, 'hey, I've got the whole package for Thief. This is my time to shine!'"

"You did," I said, leaning over the table. "You have to be _good_ to get on junior varsity. If you weren't, they wouldn't have taken you, right? And I'm sure you'll make varsity next year."

He rolled his eyes. "I know, I know, but not making it _this_ year is just one more reminder that I don't have things together, like, at all."

I rolled my eyes. "None of us do! Jeez, I'm still coming to terms with being sucked through a mirror and spat out into a lake in a magical world I didn't even know existed until a few days ago," I chuckled.

He laughed, finally smiling genuinely. "It's silly, but I wanted to be the freshman who started college and was already doing all these cool things, like playing on the sports team."

"It sounds to me like you were using Thief as a means to an end," I said bluntly.

His smile faded a bit. "Yeah… I guess I kind of was. And now I can't cross it off my bucket list, which is gonna bug me for the rest of the year."

I laughed. "Aren't bucket lists for old people about to die?"

"I'm pretty sure they're for anyone with big dreams, and you're looking at _the_ dreamer," he grinned. "I even carry mine around for good luck… not that it helped during try-outs."

"Zeph, it's okay to not know where you fit in yet. That's what the college experience is all about, finding your place in the world," I said. "You know what? You were probably just trying to cross the wrong thing off your list today. What else is on it?" He smirked weakly and pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. He unfolded it and pushed it towards me without a word. "'Make friends'," I read. "Check. 'Confirm Water-Att.' Also check," I grinned. "'Pet an actual dryxmar' in all caps with… _five_ exclamation marks," I laughed.

"I heard they giggle when you pet their trunks!" he beamed. "They're hard to find, but I've got all year and I'm persistent."

"'Eat twenty dragon links for breakfast and breathe fire'?" I squinted at the paper. "Zeph, is that even humanly possible?"

He smirked. "That's what the rumours say, at least. You eat all twenty, you breathe actual fire."

"No, I mean, is it _humanly possible_ to eat twenty dragon links in one sitting? Those things are _hot_," I remembered seeing someone eating them the previous morning, unable to eat one without nearly dying.

"I repeat, I've got all year, and I'm persistent," he chuckled. "I also want to join a weirdly cool club and find somewhere cool on campus."

"Define 'somewhere cool,'" I asked, thinking that most of the campus was pretty damn cool.

"Where I grew up," he started, "there's this weeping willow in the middle of a pond in the park, but the pond is always freezing so nobody goes out there."

"Let me guess, except you?"

"Bingo," he beamed. "I waded out one day in the middle of summer and it turns out a bunch of imps lived under the canopy," he explained. "They were super grumpy that I interrupted their brunch, but I won them over with my stellar personality and became a regular brunch guest."

I laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like you." I looked around then back at him. "I can't believe you've had so much magic in your life already. I wish I had that."

He nodded. "I guess it's easy to take magical things for granted if you've grown up with them. Honestly, seeing how excited you are about magic makes being at Penderghast even more magical for me."

"Really? How so?" I asked.

"Everything is new and different to you, but you're trying to make the most of it," he said. "If I'd been thrown into a magical world like you, I'd be freaking out."

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh, I _am_ freaking out… on the inside…," I tried to keep a straight face, but his smile made me grin. I was scared at the thought of getting found out when I'd finally found a place where I felt _right_. I had to hide the fact that I was utterly terrified, as well as amazed, by all of the crazy things happening around me. "It helps having friends like you."

He squinted at me then nodded to himself. "You know what? You're right. Even if I didn't make varsity, I can still cross _something_ off my list." He pushed his plate away from him and stood up to grab another plate, this one loaded with dragon links. He sat down with a sense of purpose and stared at the sausages as they steamed in front of him, one of them still sending out tiny licks of flame. "I'm doing this, Sky. I feel inspired, no, _unstoppable._" He skewered his first link and held it up to his lips, preparing himself. I held up my hand, trying to object, but I was too late. He took a huge bite, devouring just over half of the first link. I was speechless. He ate three before the effects began to take place.

"Are… are you really going for twenty? Should I call the fire department?" I joked while honestly concerned about his well-being.

He shook his head and kept eating, his face as red as the links before him. Sweat began to bead on his brow and run down the side of his face. His eyes started watering. "Come on, talk me through this! Distract me! I need your help here," he pleaded.

I shook my concern away and stood up quickly, sending my chair back with a loud screech that silenced the room. I stood on the chair and cupped my hands to my mouth. "Give me a Z!" I shouted. "Give me an E!" I continued. One student a few tables over shouted back at me. Zeph looked like he was about to die, but he shoved another two into his face. "Give me a P!"

"This is beyond embarrassing," I heard Beckett behind me. I hadn't noticed him there. How had I not noticed him there? The crowd getting involved with a roaring 'P' shook me from my thoughts.

"Give me an H!" I screamed proudly over them. Some of them got to their feet to shout back at me.

"Sky! I can't feel my tongue!" Zeph looked up at me, red as hellfire.

"You did it, Zeph!" I stared down at his empty plate.

"Holy- I did it!" he cheered as he looked down. "I did it!" he stood up triumphantly, fists in the air as the sweat drenched his jersey. The crowd was silent as his eyes went wide and his hands grasped at his mouth.

"You are _not_ throwing up on me," I said, jumping off the chair and rushing over to him, ready to guide him out of the room if necessary.

Just as I touched his shoulder, he let out a massive belch, fire shooting out of his mouth and extending up to the floating light fixture above us. Everyone, including me, ducked. It was so hot. When the fire finally dissipated, the candles on the chandelier were lit. The crowd applauded and whistled at him.

"Ugh," he groaned and collapsed back into his chair, his head hitting the table. "I think that's the closest I'll ever get to being a Fire-Att," he mumbled weakly.

"That was incredible. Are you okay?" I asked.

He lifted his head and smiled through the tears streaming relentlessly down his cheeks. "I feel like a champion," he said, his voice gruff from his sore throat. He sat up swiftly. "If I'd made varsity, I wouldn't have learned that I have an actual bionic stomach," was his realisation of the whole event. I stood him up and made him bow, holding his arm up like a wrestling champion.

The dining hall went wild until the noon bell rang through the windows, making everyone immediately pack up and start leaving.

"Class starts in ten!" Zeph pulled his arm out of my grasp and snatched his bag off the floor, grabbing his list as he did so. "I've got to go! Thanks for lunch, Sky!" he said before darting out to join the herd.

"Hey," I called after him, "don't forget to cross this off your list!"

"You know it!" he beamed, still crying. I laughed. On my way out, I purposefully bumped Beckett with my shoulder. "Hi there."

He looked down at me with a curt nod before shuffling through his satchel. "Was that spectacle quite necessary?" he asked.

I beamed. "But of course," I held my hands behind my back, keeping my arm just close enough to his to brush against each other as students flooded passed us. "Zeph was having a bad day and, as his friend, it is my duty to cheer him up in such situations."

"He nearly singed my hair," Beckett huffed.

I smirked. "Oh, no. Whatever would we do if your luscious hair caught fire?" His ears turned pink, making me want to tease him more. He stopped to rummage through his bag again, probably alphabetising his textbooks, which gave me an opening. I reached up and brushed a stray hair from his face, pushing it back with the others in their neatly styled wave.

His wide eyes landed on me. In a swift motion, he closed his bag and took a step back. "I… must get to class. Er… see you," he turned on his heel and took off down the hallway with a purpose. I pouted. _You're no fun…_

I was on my way to my room when Shreya nearly ran me over on her way down the stone steps outside of the dorm. "Watch out!" I said before realising that it was her. I caught her by the arms, but her momentum made us spin and fall down a step. Her hands gripped my forearms to keep her from falling out of my grasp as I regained my balance on the stone landing between stairs.

"Sky!" she beamed. "I was just on my way to lunch."

"You were sprinting down the stairs to lunch?" I asked, letting her go.

As she straightened her blouse, she said, "Do _not_ judge. Rumour has it that Chef Gillespe Saint Montraire is catering today! He has _three_ Michelin stars and _five_ D'Uvrey goblets." I had no idea what any of that meant, but it didn't stop her from continuing. "He made the menu for my Sweet Sixteen gala, but we had to get on the wait list _two_ _years_ in advance!" She looked me over. "Oh, were you doing some sports?"

"Thief try-outs," I explained. "I made the team, but-," she cut me off.

"No way! I heard Penderghast goes all out for Thief! The parties are _everything,_" she raved. You're gonna be campus famous!" she squealed.

"Shreya," I tried to ground her. There was no stopping her once she got started. "Listen, something weird is going on." She cocked her head, finally letting me speak. "While I was at try-outs that guy from the mirror showed up again, and this time he actually touched me. He tried to grab my ankle from a puddle," I told her. "On top of that, I saw Aster earlier today and she was trying to warn me about something while she was doing that branching thing."

"Do you think she was trying to warn you about your reflection… or something else?" she asked, now rather concerned.

I shook my head. "I don't know. I think I need to look for answers somehow. Enough of this 'I'm just trying to blend in' crap. Obviously, keeping my head down isn't working," I furrowed my brows and stared at the campus behind her. "More and more bad things keep happening. If I don't do anything about it, I won't stand a chance against whatever it is that's coming after me."

She smiled and clapped her hands together. "Spoken like a true fighter. What's the plan?"

I sighed and rubbed a hand down my face to the base of my neck. "I dunno… Toronto wasn't doing it for me, but at least it wasn't _dangerous_. There weren't any magical forces out to get me… How am I supposed to handle this?" I asked, not really expecting an answer, but hoping for one. "It's not like I took a 'Fighting Mysterious Evil Forces 101' class," I paused. "Wait… is that a thing? Do they have that here?"

She shook her head with a laugh and put her hand on her hip. "No, but I'm here. With me at your side, some wispy shadows and a reflection that _so_ doesn't do your gorgeous face justice won't be a problem!" I smiled and shook my head. "I don't want you to lose all your wonder for the magical world yet," she put a hand on my shoulder and stared into my eyes. "I'll make sure this place stays special for you, and that means helping you stay safe. And if there's one person you can count on, it's a Mistry," she smirked. "The magical community's most trusted helping hand since 1202."

I chuckled. "Shreya, have I ever told you how much I appreciate you?"

She waved me off. "Aw, c'mon. I'm not saying all this for you to thank me. You're the first friend I made at Penderghast and my closest friend here. I'm serious about helping you."

"I'm serious, too," I said. "I've told you some pretty crazy shit and you just accepted it without batting an eyelash."

"I'm an incredible judge of character," she smirked. "I knew you were telling the truth and I'm so glad I listened. My life would have been so dull if I hadn't." She paused for a moment then looked around. "You know what? The dining hall just won't cut it for lunch today. A Gillespe Saint Montraire meal needs more ambiance."

"What are you proposing?"

"Let me take you on a picnic!" she beamed. "We haven't tried all the knobs on our portal door yet. Let's sneak some lunch out of the dining hall and eat somewhere new!"

"I just ate with Zeph, though," I said.

She squinted up at me. "But did you have dessert? Because that's what _I_ mean by lunch. Gellespe Saint Montraire is all about the sweets."

I smirked. "I always have room for dessert." I shrugged. "I guess a change of scenery would be nice. Campus feels more and more like a nebulous force of evil."

"If anyone deserves to get away from campus for a relaxing, worry-free picnic, it's you," she beamed again. "Plus, you'll have my brilliant company, _and_ you can try all of my Saint Montraire favourites!"

"Okay, let's go," I agreed.

"Music to my ears!" she sang. "I've already got my Mistry three-shelved pantry bag. Refrigeration included!"

I found myself back in the dining hall only moments after I'd left. Shreya had me handing her so many treats that I was sure her three shelves were already full. When she'd decided that we had enough, we made a B-line for the door and made our way back to the dorm, where she double-checked the bag to make sure we had everything. I looked over her shoulder and saw actual shelves in the bag. It was nearly a meter deep and I was surprised she could fit her short arm down that far.

"I don't think they're going anywhere, Shreya," I said as she continued to stare at the pastries.

"I just want to make sure they won't fall over!" she justified. "Half of the Saint Montraire experience is the presentation, after all."

I chuckled. "Okay, well, while you're doing that, I'm going to get changed," as was my original mission once I'd returned to the room.

"Nonsense, you look great!" she beat me to the door and grabbed the third handle from the top. She swung the door open, but all that was there was a swirling green vortex. All the other knobs opened specifically into a certain area, but this… Then I remembered her telling me that the one that led to an open field opened up in a tree. She grabbed my hand and pulled me through.

On the other side was an open meadow with wildflowers, a few trees, one of which we'd just stepped out of, and a small river. Birds were chirping loudly and the sound of students talking in small groups could be heard from over a small hill. Another group of students stood in a circle around a pure white tree as a rainbow of magic popped around them.

"Where are we?" I inquired.

"At the base of one of the school-sanctioned hiking trails," Shreya explained. "A lot of the environmental classes do fieldwork in the area as well. It's the perfect place if you ever need to step out and take a breather," she said, grabbing my wrist to pull me along. She let go after a few paces and sat down on the grass, patting the spot next to her for me to sit. "But _we're_ here to get our sugar fix!" she beamed, digging through the bag in her lap. "I want you to try a fruit franglepuff, a dragon's delicacy, and a Saint Montraire éclair, of course." She set three plates out in front of me. "The surprise is they each have a different magical effect, but I don't want to spoil them for you. Go ahead and pick one to find out what happens." She stared at me eagerly.

"Um, this is safe, right?" I asked. "I'm not going to explode or lose my tongue or anything?"

She let out a loud laugh. "You are _so_ dramatic! They're one hundred percent safe, two hundred percent delightful."

I reached hesitantly towards what looked like a macaroon. It crunched when I bit into it, but the fruity flavour was quite satisfactory. "Oh mon dieu! Ce gout… c'est comme… c'est comme le soleil brille dans ma bouche!" I froze. "Shreya, pourquoi est-ce que je parle… _francais?!_" I was speaking French!

Shreya had to hold her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. "This is the best thing since everyone suddenly started chattering away in French at my sweet sixteen!" she giggled.

"When does it… stop," I asked, realising it as soon as I said it. "That answers that question."

Shreya wiped at her eyes. "The more you eat, the longer it lasts," she explained. "A fruit franglepuff makes you a francophone until you can't taste it anymore."

I chuckled. "I haven't heard French that butchered since my mom took me to Montreal on holiday."

"Pish posh," she mocked. "You sounded fine. Very eloquent."

I did a mock curtsy. "You certainly do know a lot about desserts," I changed the topic.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder proudly. "I do consider myself a connoisseur of sorts. I like the finer things in life." She bit her cheek. "My sister ate all of the leftover eclairs the morning after my birthday. I was so mad, I didn't talk to her for a week."

"You should have labelled them," I joked. "'Birthday girl's. Touch and you will feel my wrath.'"

"That's exactly what Nehal said!" she looked at me, shocked. "She didn't even get in trouble for it. Our parents thought _I_ was being overdramatic!"

"What, you, overdramatic?" I teased. She threw a napkin at me angrily. "It sounds like your sister pulled the perfect éclair heist."

"Well, that's Nehal for you, always doing things perfectly. She's an Air-Att. Thinks first, acts second. Knows just the right thing to say or do," she pursed her lips. "She can rationalise her way out of anything and has never been a problem child…"

"Do you get along?" I asked.

She beamed. "We get along really well, actually. Sure, we bicker and stuff, but that's just what siblings do," she explained. "We have this Sunday ritual of marathoning the week's most garbage TV shows all day long. Our favourite is _My Attuneless Half-Boyfriend_."

"Half-boyfriend?" I raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like Attuned trash TV is the same as what I'm used to."

"It's deliciously contrived. Nehal and I live for it," she grinned.

"Having siblings sounds fun," I smiled, but I was honestly jealous. Zeph had an interesting relationship with his sister, Beckett's life was driven by the competition with his sister, and Shreya and Nehal were all about that sibling bonding. I hated being an only child more and more every day.

"Our parents like to say that I'm the tech-savvy one, while Nehal has the three P's I lack," she said. "Prim, proper, and presentable," she frowned, digging her fork into her éclair. "In a way, Nehal is my rock. She cools my flames, but she also always makes me feel like the cool older sister I try so hard to be," she smiled weakly. "I just hate when people compare us, and by 'people' I mean our parents when the whole 'carry the family business' thing comes up."

"It sounds to me like they believe in you, though, even if their goals for you aren't the same as your own," I tried to comfort her.

She nodded slightly. "I appreciate that they see potential in me, but I should be allowed to pave my own way. My youth is about figuring out who I am. Even though I still don't really know what that is."

"Hey, if anyone has themselves figured out as a first-year college student, they're the odd one out," I chuckled. "I had a similar conversation earlier today, so I know you're not the only one who feels overwhelmed. I'm still figuring everything out myself, and don't even ask me about my future. I have no idea where I'm headed anymore, which means I have an abundance of options to explore," I told her.

"I hope that when Nehal goes to college in two years, she'll set out with the same mindset," she smiled thoughtfully. "I want her to thrive, like I am here at Penderghast."

I cocked my head with a lazy grin. "I can see you in a leadership position. I hope you _do_ run the company."

"Where did that come from?" she furrowed her brows.

I shrugged. "It's just something I've been thinking about since you told me about your family's business. You know how to take the reins, how to lift people's moods, you have great ideas, and you can come up with plans on the spot. You're innovative, but also attentive to those around you. In my book, those are leadership qualities." I leaned down to inspect the cupcake looking treats.

She gave me an appreciative smile. "It means so much to me to hear that. My whole life, I've been _told_ to be a better leader. I was starting to wonder if I had it in me. I'm not sure if being a leader is what I really want, but I'm glad that you see me as more than just some shallow fashion girl like I know some people do."

I snorted. "You mean, you're not?" I teased.

She scrunched her face at me, throwing another napkin. After a second, she said, "Thanks, Sky… For being a good friend and for, you know, being so chill about my big personality. I'm sure it can get a little overwhelming."

"Not at all. It's one of your greatest qualities," I grinned. I picked up one of the treats she'd set out; it looked like pink fudge with chocolate drizzled over it. I held it up to her face.

She took it from my hand with a giggle. "Thanks. What's this for?"

"Friendship," I said simply, just wanting to see her smile forever. She had a warm and contagious smile.

"Very eloquent, and very sweet," she giggled again. "Want to see what a razzle-dazzle does?" She took a bite and her hair began to billow like a gust of wind was continuously blowing at only her.

She handed me an éclair. I bit into it and immediately burst into song. "What the hell was that?" I giggled when it wore off.

We spent the next half hour eating the strange desserts and laughing our heads off. Afterwards, I dropped Shreya at her next class and headed back up to the dorm to finally change clothes… or at least I was going to… I'd gotten so wrapped up in my own thoughts about the try-outs and my reflection that I'd ended up in a part of the school I didn't recognise. It was similar to the other hallways in the main building, but there was a display case at the end of the hall and the usual blue flames on the wall sconces and torches were purple.

"What is with today? Have I wracked up some bad karma without noticing?" I asked myself. Behind me, there suddenly came a loud shrieking sound. I spun around. "Jesus!" I ducked as a shadow flew towards me, grazing my hair as it passed over my head. It screeched again. It was much larger and angrier than the first shadow I'd encountered, and it had claws. The corridor went dark, leaving barely enough of that purple glow for me to see. The eyes on the shadow swivelled around to the back of its head. "Oh no," I tried to stand up, but it lunged towards me again, this time lower, and I was forced to jump towards the wall. _There's no way I can outrun this thing_. It took me a second, but I was able to cast the first spell that came to mind. I threw a fireball, but it died out before it even left my palm. "Damn it! Bobby?" I looked around for him when I heard him yip. He materialized right in front of me, and I could feel his magic pulsing through me within seconds. "Here goes," I threw another fireball, this one larger and burning brighter, but it disappeared as it hit the shadow's smoky body. "Oh fuck," I sighed. The shadow growled angrily and darted towards me once more. I threw my arms up, out of options. A loud, husky bark drew my attention as Bobby leapt in front of me and growled at the creature. "Bobby, no! Move!"

"Begone!" a voice commanded, and a blinding white light filled the room. When my eyes finally adjusted, I saw Professor Swan standing in front of Bobby, who was shaking with terror.

I picked him up in one swift motion and held him in my arms to comfort the both of us. He whimpered. "You're okay, boy. It's going to be okay." He looked up at me, sadness in his eyes, before disappearing. My attention refocused on the lump of black shadow on the ground, writhing in pain. "What…"

"Skyler, follow me!" Swan ordered, starting back down the hallway. I was going to object, but she added, "There's no time!"

I stood to follow her, but I noticed something glowing in the creature's shadowy figure. It was some red rock. After investigating it briefly, I picked it up and shoved it into my bag. When I looked back, the shadow was gone.

"Skyler, please!" her voice echoed. "You're in grave danger, and you must follow me if you want my help."

Without knowing what else to do, I followed her. The rock was oddly heavy now that it was in my bag, but I didn't think much of it. Answers were just around the corner and I needed them more than anything else in my life.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: I Could Use Some Answers

I was rushing after Professor Swan down a series of hallways, my mind still reeling from nearly dying. "What was that?"

Without turning around at all, she hollered back at me, "Come on. We can't afford to linger here. It might not be safe. Too many shadows." She seemed almost out of breath, but she pushed forward, keeping a steadily fast pace as we wove through the main building. Suddenly, she stopped. I nearly ran into her, but she took a step to the side, avoiding the crash. She opened a small wooden door an urged me to get inside post haste.

It was a small, cluttered office with bookshelves covering every inch of the walls. Books that didn't fit on the shelves were stacked up to my hip on the floor in various piles. The room was lit by tall candles on the scattered side tables that never seemed to burn down. On the far side of the room sat a thick, heavy oak desk with an armchair behind and in front of it, neither matching the other in the least. She gestured for me to sit in the blue plaid chair as she took her seat in the brown leather armchair across the desk. I looked around, noticing weird little trinkets placed in front of and between the books on the shelves. There was a gramophone, a globe, an old metal electric fan, and what looked like a crystal ball. On her desk was a wildly growing plant and a small stone statue of a unicorn. Behind her head, I noticed a large star chart taking up a decent section of the back wall, twinkling and spinning ever so slowly.

"It looks like you're still in one piece," she let out a sigh of relief, "aside from a few bruises." I cocked my head at her, hoping she'd finally answer my questions. "That's good, that's good. I'd never hear the end of it if you weren't…," she continued then closed her eyes for a few moments. Suddenly, her eyes shot open as she jumped in her chair, shifting forward to lean onto the desk. "Oh! I'm Professor Swan, in case you didn't know that already. I teach the Sun-Atts and Moon-Atts here at Penderghast. Can I get you anything? A cup of tea, or perhaps something stronger…"

I shrugged. "What do you have?" I joked, though I wasn't particularly in a joking mood.

She shot up from her seat and busied herself in the back corner of her office. "No, wait, you're a student! Just tea, just tea…" She put the bottle of whiskey she'd been holding down, but didn't let go of it. After a moment of deliberation, she poured herself a glass of whiskey and made me a cup of tea. She set the two cups down on her desk, but I couldn't pick mine up yet.

"Professor, perhaps this should wait until _after_ we have a little talk," I said, looking up from teacup. "I keep getting attacked, and I'd really like to know why."

"Why do you think that I-," she started.

"You showed up right after the first monster attacked me, too, Professor. You have to know something," I bit the inside of my cheek. "Please… Tell me," I pleaded.

She let out another sigh, but this one was longer and held more weight. She fidgeted with the rings on her fingers. "Yes, of course. You must have a great many questions, naturally," she looked up at me with a nervous smile. "But tea first," she pushed my cup towards me.

I took a sip to humour her, letting the bitter flavour wash over my tongue. There was a tinge of sweetness in the aftertaste. As the first gulp went down, I felt instantly at ease. "That's interesting," I raised an eyebrow at the steaming brown liquid.

"It's dragon oolong," she said. "It's one of my favourites. Good for inner peace… I just hope the honey was okay. I find it's just the right amount of sweet." She smiled proudly, completely distracted from the matter at hand.

I caught her eyes. "Can we get back to talking about what just happened?"

"Right, of course!" she shifted nervously in her chair, her youthful face scrunching under the waves of messy dark hair that framed her thin cheeks. "What do you want to know?"

"For starters, what in the world was that thing?" I asked, the image of the screeching shadowy creature flashing through my mind once more.

She hung her head, but kept her eyes locked on mine. "I honestly don't know. It's evidently some kind of shadow creature, and it must want something from you."

I set the teacup back down on the desk. "Me? But what could I have that it wants?"

"Normally, magic creatures only attack if they're cornered or defending their territory, but this is different," she explained. "It's really quite fascinating." She took a sip of her whiskey, holding it with both hands. "Whatever it is, it seems to have locked onto you."

"Fascinating?" I shook my head, feeling outraged at first, but then a took a breath and understood where she was coming from. If they weren't after me, I'd probably think the same thing. "How did you stop it? What was that spell you used?"

She set down her glass and folded her hands on the desk, leaning on her elbows. "I used Sun magic. Creatures of shadow are weak to the sun, since it damages their physical form, which takes time to recover."

"So, you're saying that monster could come back and attack me again?" I asked, feeling a _bit_ worried.

She shook her head. "No. At least, I think not. Once a creature has dissolved like that, it would take a truly powerful force to bring it back," she explained. "You can think of it like this: If you cut a tree down, you wouldn't expect the tree to rise again from its stump-," she spoke with her hands, but cut herself off, holding one hand daintily to her lips. "Oh, I'm sorry. I went straight into teaching mode. There won't be a quiz on this later, I promise."

I chuckled. "Actually, I could use that right about now. Not the quiz, maybe, but the teaching."

"I'll tell you what I can," she nodded, her eyes softening as they met mine.

I narrowed my eyes at her, wondering about the other things that had happened in the past few days. "What about that picture of me? Why did you have it?"

"Wh-what? A picture of you?" she stuttered, sitting up straight in her chair. "I've never had a picture of you in my life."

"I followed you into the lost and found room," I told her. "The picture was in a bag full of weird stuff, just sitting in the middle of the floor, not pushed up against the wall like everything else. It wasn't there the last time I was there, and you were the only other person around," I stared at her, accusingly. I didn't want to be mean, but I needed answers.

"A bag? Oh, that must belong to…," she trailed off. "I mean!" she quickly corrected herself. "I don't know anything about a bag, or a picture! Not at all. Why would I?" She shifted uncomfortably, her eyes darting around the room. She shot up from her chair. "I just realised, I need to check that hall again. That monster should have left behind some kind of trace after I destroyed it." I looked down at my bag, but gritted my teeth. She wasn't telling me everything, so why should I reciprocate?

"There wasn't anything left in the hallway. I checked," I lied. "And if you don't want to tell me the truth about that picture, then fine."

She hesitated, looking between me and the door. After a moment, she took her seat once more. "I am telling you the truth. I'm sure it was a coincidence. All sorts of stuff ends up in that lost and found, whether we intend it to or not."

I stared at her for a minute, knowing she was still lying, but so was I. "Why should I trust you?" I asked bluntly. "I've seen you in the halls watching me. How do I know it's not _you_ trying to hurt me?" I kept a straight face, but I'm sure my eyes gave away my distrust. I had been through too much in the last few days to be denied answers. If she wasn't going to tell me now, fine, but I needed to know I could at least trust her answers. Maybe she _did_ know who was after me or why the shadows kept attacking me. Maybe she knew about the reflection…

"But if I were, why would I have jumped in and rescued you?" she asked, looking a bit shocked. "If I had wanted you gone, I would have let the creature do its job or I could have killed you right here and now. It wouldn't be hard," her expression relaxed, looking more analysing than cold. "Not that I would, of course. Just that I _could_… Oh, that still sounds bad," she braced her forehead with her hands.

I rubbed my temples with a groan. "I just don't get it. This is the second shadow creature that's attacked me."

"I don't think that's random," she said. "It's like a target has been placed on your back, drawing these monsters in," her voice was sure, her eyes honest. She knew more than she was telling me… I was certain of that now.

"So you're saying that I'm being hunted?" I asked, starting to regret my decision to stay at Penderghast. _Would they have come after me even if I hadn't come here?_

"Skyler," her eyes met mine, demanding my attention. "I'm working on figuring out who is coming after you, but in the meantime, we need to be cautious. It'd probably be best for you to not tell anyone what happened. We don't know who we can trust."

"What if another one of those monsters comes along? What then?"

She held up a hand to reassure me. "Let me worry about that. It's a professor's job to look after their students and ensure they have a safe environment to learn in," she said. "At least that's what the brochure says."

"I can't just sit around waiting to get attacked and hoping that you'll be there to rescue me," I argued.

She looked down at a strange looking device on her wrist, I equated it to a wristwatch, and nodded. "Well, I suppose there is _one_ spell that I could teach you, but you're still so new at magic that I'm not sure you're ready for it."

"It's better to know it than get killed for being underprepared," I stated bluntly.

She raised her brows, but then nodded to herself after a moment. "It's a protective charm of sorts. An effective use of your natural Sun abilities."

"So I'll be able to disintegrate any shadow creature that comes my way?" I asked.

"No! The spell I used earlier is far too complex for someone still learning basic mastery of the elements!" she shook her head. "Think of it more like a shield, a way of protecting yourself should the need arise." She looked over the desk at me, analysing my face. "Are you sure you're feeling well enough to cast right now? You still look rather shaken up."

"I can handle it, Professor," I said, feeling less panicked and more driven. "Besides, it doesn't matter how I'm feeling. I need to learn this to protect myself. It's a matter of survival I can't turn away from."

She nodded. "Excellent. I admire your determination, Skyler," she stood and gestured for me to rise from my chair, too. "Sun magic revolves around the use of light and time because the sun gives us light and signifies the passage of time," she jumped right back into teaching mode. "Now, the spell I'm going to teach you will create a shield by bending the light around you through the observation of time."

"Bending light… through the observation of time?" I repeated back, not understanding how to do that at all.

"Precisely. Now, pick something to focus on, preferably something that moves, so you can see it change as the seconds pass. I use my watch, but really anything will do," she pointed to the contraption on her wrist. "Once you have that object, feel yourself in relation to it. See how you interact. Then channel that magic into your arms and…," she spread her arms out to her sides and brought them up over her head, clapping loudly as her hands met. "Solis!" she said, and a bright light shot out from her hands and surrounded her in a glowing bubble. After a few moments, it faded and she put her hands down.

"Woah…," I stared in awe.

She waved her hands towards me. "Go on. You try it."

I stared at the star chart behind her, counting the seconds as it slowly rotated. I concentrated on my breath, breathing in and out every few seconds. I held my arms out to the sides and raised them over my head, clapping loudly as I repeated the word, "Solis." I felt warmth and looked down to see the bright bubble surrounding me. "Cool," I whispered. A loud crackle got my attention as a ball of electricity slammed into the shield. I flinched, but the bubble absorbed the shock, making sparks fall to the floor like dying fireworks. " You didn't say you were going to attack me!"

She giggled. "I needed to make sure you were casting the shield correctly, and you did. Flawlessly. Well done."

I shook my head and the bubble disappeared. "Well, at least now I know what to do if I get attacked again."

"Indeed. Now, you'll have to excuse me. I've got to get back to my research, and I'm sure you've got homework waiting for you," she shifted some things on her desk and made her way around the desk to the door.

"But there's still so much I don't understand!" I objected.

"I think you've learned quite enough for one day. I'm sure you'll feel better after a good night's rest," she looked sternly at me. "And remember, it's prudent that we keep the monster and these attacks quiet. Just until we figure out who we can trust." I sighed and grabbed my bag off the floor, heading towards the door she was holding open. "Keep up your magical studies. We'll be starting your Sun-Attunement practice soon. I'll try to be prepared." _Isn't that your job?_

Even if Swan didn't want me to, I was obviously going to tell Shreya. I went back to my dorm, expecting to find her, but I didn't. I dropped off my bag and _finally_ changed out of my jersey and back into jeans. It seemed that the longer I was there, the more my closet seemed to fill up, so I donned my favourite red sweater. Things from my apartment in Toronto began appearing all around my new room. The closet had most of my clothes hanging in it now and the shelves hanging around the room were slowly filling with books and items from my old place. I wondered if this had happened to anyone else or just me, since I was the surprise student.

The silence of the lounge seemed ominous. I didn't want to be alone. I was still shaky, as I should've been. After getting ready, I headed to the dining hall to find Shreya… and get some food. All the magic use made me really hungry. I found Shreya, Zeph, and Griffin sitting around a table near the center of the hall and sat down at the empty chair.

"Sky, where have you been?" Zeph asked, looking like he'd just heard a killer joke. "You missed me shoving a whole piece of fizzleberry pie in my mouth!"

Shreya scoffed. "I wouldn't say you actually missed anything. It was disgusting."

"Hey, Skyler," Griffin looked over at me, concern in his eyes. "You came in here in a hurry. Is everything okay?"

I shrugged. "I've been better. You won't believe what happened to me, but we shouldn't talk here. I don't want the whole school to know about it."

"You don't want the whole school to know about what?" a familiar voice came from behind me. I spun around and found Beckett leaning back in his chair, his head turned towards us.

"You're, like, everywhere. Do you just follow us around and eavesdrop?" Zeph held his hand out questioningly.

Beckett rolled his eyes. "You're the ones who are always talking so loudly." He turned back to his book with a huff.

I leaned into the table and whispered, "We can't talk here. There're too many people. We need to go somewhere off the grid."

"I've got just the place," Griff whispered back. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

"Um, I'm going to grab something before we go," I bit my lip when my stomach let out a loud growl.

Shreya giggled. "Yeah, I think your stomach would appreciate that."

I grabbed a napkin and rolled a few slices of sandwich into it. Of course, the sandwich wasn't a normal sandwich, but I'm not going to expand on that. Whatever your imagination comes up with, you're probably right.

As soon as I had a few snacks, I walked back over to the table and we all got up to leave. I glanced over my shoulder to the bookish boy sitting alone, disgruntled and hastily turning pages in his book. "Beckett," I called to him, but he didn't look up. "Hey, gorgeous," I whispered, leaning on his table. He looked up immediately. "You coming or what?"

"Wait, are you talking to me?" he closed his book, his face flushed.

"No, the stud behind you," I pursed my lips when he actually _turned around_ to look. _For someone so smart, he is so dense._ I rolled my eyes. "Yes, you. Let's go."

"Hang on," Shreya's hand landed on my shoulder. "He's coming with us? Are you sure he should know about… well… all of this?"

I shrugged. "He's going to find out eventually," I put my hand on my hip. "Besides, he's cute and I could use some eye candy after the day I've had."

He stared up at me with wide eyes, but turned away when I winked at him. Out of all the times I'd made him blush, this one was the prize winner. "You've got to be joking," he sputtered out.

I beamed and turned back to my friends. "See? Look how adorable he is."

"Skyler, he threw a fireball at you on the first day of class," Shreya argued. "If you like nerds so much, let me introduce you to some of my company's alchemical scientists. Any one of them is an upgrade."

I let out a quick breath, irritated that she'd say that right in front of the guy I was _clearly_ smitten with. "_Technically_ I threw it at him first, but things have changed. It's amazing what a night of school service can do to a relationship." I looked back over at Beckett with another wink.

He stood swiftly, avoiding my eyes, and slung his leather bag over his shoulder, his book tucked neatly in his other hand. "Of course I'm coming. Naturally. That was my intention all along," he stammered, trying to look like his normal snooty self even though he was so obviously embarrassed. I chuckled and sucked my lip as I watched him walk over to the rest of the group and head toward the doors.

Zeph came back to push me forward. "Need some water? You're looking thirsty," he teased.

I nodded, knowing full well what my situation was. "I swear, Zeph, I'm gonna get that boy in my pants before the year is out even if it kills me."

He rolled his eyes. "Sounds like you have a bucket list of your own," he laughed as we caught up to the others.

We followed Griffin down a series of identical hallways in the main building until we were in an area devoid of people, noise, and classrooms. He stopped at the end of the hall and turned to face us.

"Why is it that every time I go anywhere with you, we end up at a dead-end hallway?" I asked jokingly.

He grinned. "I'll let you in on a secret. That's where all the cool stuff's hidden." He ran his hand along the wooden panelling on the side of the hallway and pressed in a piece of trim. A ladder dropped down from the ceiling and an invisibility spell wore off, revealing a trap door.

"I swear, this place is chalked full of secret passageways…," I mumbled.

"The college has been around for over three centuries," Beckett scoffed. "Logically, there are places the general student body doesn't know about." _I'd like to discover some hidden places with you, Mr. Hotington._ I'll admit, I've come up with better nicknames, but it was only a thought and I didn't have to tell anyone about it.

"And it's a lot nicer than hiding out in an empty classroom," Griff smirked as he started up the ladder.

The rest of us climbed up after him and emerged into a small stone room with a domed ceiling. _This must be one of the towers_. The walls were stone, but the room was warm and cosy. There was a foosball table with a red rug separating it from the hardwood floor, there was a record player with records filling a bookcase beneath it, bean bags everywhere, a large bookcase with rocks that changed colour every few seconds, a minifridge, and an old dining table. The walls were covered in Penderghast posters and Dryxmar trophies and flags. When I looked closer, I realised that it wasn't a foosball table. It was table-top Thief. The room was lit by blue flames, just like the hallway beneath it.

"Welcome to the Roost," Griff did a quick spin with his arms outstretched.

"Oh my god… I want one," I looked around in awe.

"Me, too!" Shreya gasped behind me as she crawled into the room. "Imagine if this were a secret spa, with built-in hot springs… It'd be just like the one I have back home!"

The farther in I walked, the more the space seemed to open up. It was truly magical. "I bet Bobby Drake would love all this space to run around. He always gets antsy in my room." Upon hearing his name, he materialised right in front of me with an excited yip. "Hey, buddy!" I knelt down and pet his head. "How are you doing? Feeling better after everything today?" He howled happily and let his tongue hang out of his mouth. "Sounds like you're just fine," I chuckled. When I took my hand back, he darted around the room, bumping into the bookcase and skidding into a guitar on the far side of the room. "Uh, Bobby… maybe you should find someplace to lie down, alright?" He tilted his head at me then made his home under the Thief table.

My friends settled in, Zeph and Griff flopping into the beanbags, Shreya taking a seat at the table, and Beckett leaning against the Thief table next to me. I took a deep breath and told Beckett and Griffin everything Zeph and Shreya already knew. When that was out of the way, I dove into what had happened that day.

"Back up for a moment," Beckett held up his hand. "You're saying that you were attacked by some sort of monster?"

I sighed. "Yeah, and that's not the first time, either. I got attacked the first day I was here, and I saw that weird reflection then, too. But… this last monster left behind some sort of rock. That's never happened before."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Eventually, Griffin cleared his throat. "When Zeph said you had a sheltered upbringing, I didn't realise you knew _nothing_ about magic."

"Forget about that!" Shreya stood up in her chair and sat on the table. "I was right! I knew that creature that showed up on day one wasn't just some prank!"

I nodded and folded my arms. "Yeah, it seems that way. Swan thinks I'm being targeted by someone."

"But who would want to attack you, Sky?" Zeph asked, leaning on his knees at the edge of the beanbag.

"They must be absurdly talented if they're getting through the school's wards," Beckett added, his thumb to his chin.

"Why do you sound so impressed?" Zeph asked accusingly.

"Do you have an idea of who could be behind it?" Griff asked, eyeing him the same way.

I looked over at Beckett, too, but not to accuse him. "I think it has to be someone outside the college," I said, bouncing my idea off of him.

"That seems like the most logical option," he nodded briefly. "If someone was attacking you from within the school, the professors would have caught them."

Zeph sighed. "The rest of the world really narrows things down for us. It's just millions of people. No biggy."

"It could literally be anyone," I sat on the floor and leaned against the Thief table, wrapping my arm around my legs. "This isn't adding up. Swan said the monsters were after me specifically, but it's not like I _did_ anything!" I groaned. "None of this makes any sense. There're monsters, my reflection, and the rock, but there must be something I'm missing. Some piece of the puzzle…" I lightly beat my forehead against my knees. "How am I supposed to figure it out on my own?"

"Well, you won't be on your own," Shreya hopped off the table and sat beside me on the floor. "You have me, and let's be honest, with my mental aptitude and business savvy, you don't need much else."

Zeph smiled down at me. "Yeah, and I'm not about to run away when things have just gotten interesting around here."

"We're a team, Skyler. We'll have your back no matter what," Griffin smirked, leaning forward with Zeph.

Beckett rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "And looking at this motley crew, I suppose I have no choice but to help, if anything's actually going to get done."

I looked around at all my supportive friends. "This… This is really cheesy, guys," I snickered. I was the only one laughing for a second, but soon they all joined in. Even Beckett cracked a smile.

"Hear, hear!" Shreya beamed. "And that's the perfect segue into…," she scrambled up from the floor and scurried over to her bag on the table. She pulled out a handful of multi-coloured string bracelets with beads on them. "Friendship bracelets!" she squealed. "I really didn't want to do my homework, and I figured you all needed some accessorizing," she said as she handed one to each of us. "Oh, and they're enchanted so you never have a bad hair day."

"I think you mean they're enchanted with _the power of friendship_," Zeph grinned widely as he tightened his around his wrist.

Shreya handed me mine. It said "Pend Pals" on the beads. "This is _so_ cheesy," I joked, slipping it onto my wrist.

She turned to Beckett, holding the last one out to him. His eyes were wide in surprise. "Yes, yes, there's one for you. You're lucky I was so convinced Zeph would break his that I made an extra," she put a hand on her hip, impatiently waiting for him to take it.

I was trying to tie mine, but it wouldn't cooperate for some reason. "Beckett, help me out?" I held my wrist out to him.

"Can't you do anything on your own?" he smirked.

I took a step back, looking him over, hand on my hip. "Okay, Mr. Suave. Let's see you put yours on without any help." He narrowed his eyes, accepting the challenge, but when he tried to tie it on with one hand, he nearly dropped it, making his cheeks and ears sting with embarrassment. "Uh-huh," I pursed my lips to fight a smile.

He avoided my eyes as I took a step closer to help him. "I just don't feel like wearing it right now. I'm perfectly capable-," he rambled.

I took the bracelet from his hand and wrapped it around his wrist. "I'm sure you are," I teased. When I was done, I kissed two fingers and tapped the knot with them. "All done."

When he finally decided to look at me again, he took the bracelet I held out to him and tied it around my wrist next to my sun pendant, his fingers grazing my skin a bit longer than necessary. "Yours is secured now as well," he blushed when he saw the look I gave him. _You are too cute, Beckett Harrington._

"Was that so hard?" I raised my brow at him. He looked across the room to avoid my eyes, making me feel successful. Just a bit more teasing and I'd have him pinned down in no time. _I give it a month, tops._

Shreya pulled us into a circle and eyed each one of us. "Perfection. We all look _so_ much better."

"I don't see why you're making such a big deal over a bracelet," Beckett stated.

"Says the guy who _never_ has a bad hair day," glanced at him and his buoyant brunette waves out of the corner of my eye.

"Why _knot_?" Zeph tried to stifle his laugh, but failed. I snickered and Shreya and Griffin laughed a bit too hard for that pun. Beckett let out a loud sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Guys, we're officially a team now," Griffin held up his arm, showing off the bracelet he'd tied on upside down. "Everybody in," he extended his fist into the middle of the group.

"Wait!" Zeph objected, pushing Griff's arm down. "We need a team name!"

"But we already have one! It's 'Pend Pals'!" Shreya pointed to her own bracelet. "Didn't you read the bracelet?"

Zeph shook his head. "We need something we all agree on!"

"Skyler, why don't you do the honours?" Griffin asked.

"Why me?" I asked back.

He shrugged. "You are the one who brought us all together. I doubt any of us would be friends right now if it wasn't for you."

Shreya and Zeph nodded and Beckett looked away, crossing his arms. "I guess so." I thought for a moment. "I don't know, Pend Pals sounds fine to me," I shrugged.

"Obviously," Shreya rolled her eyes. "I've had plenty of experience naming things for Mistry Inc., and alliteration is always the way to go."

Bobby darted into our circle and hopped around each of our legs. When he settled down, Griffin held his fist out to the center, urging the rest of us to follow suit. We made a pentagon with our knuckles and bounced them in the air thrice before raising them above our heads with a loud, "Pend Pals"

"I hate to be the burster of bubbles, but shouldn't we keep Skyler from getting killed before celebrating?" Beckett asked, withdrawing his hand like none of us had seen him participate in our little hype session.

"Fair point. Anyone have any idea where we should start with that little task?" I asked.

Beckett rolled his eyes. "Honestly, do I have to do _all_ the work around here? We should start in the library, obviously. Preferably later, so _some_ of us can get our homework done."

I nodded. "Library at ten, then?" I asked and they all nodded in agreement. After setting a plan of sorts, we all started to leave the Roost. I was the last one out because I was trying to wangle Bobby. He was running left, right, and center with way too much energy. Eventually, I got him in my arms and headed for the ladder. I let Bobby crawl onto my shoulders and bent down to start my descent, but something in the corner caught my eye. I swore I saw a shadow move.

"Skyler, is something wrong?" Griffin asked from the hallway.

I glared at the room, staring at each dark spot for a few seconds before moving to the next. Nothing seemed to shift or be out of place, but I was still uneasy. "Yeah, everythings fine. I'm just tired, I think." I made it to the ground, but before we all left, Griffin started back up the ladder. "Aren't you coming with?" I asked.

"Nah, I'm still pretty beat from try-outs earlier, so I think I'm going to stay here," he said, gesturing upward. "Chill out, listen to some of my favourite Muses."

"Muses?" I inquired.

"Right, I forgot you're not from around here," he shook his head, like he still couldn't believe it. "It's like an Attuneless record, I guess, but trust me, it's _way_ cooler." _Oh, so that's what those records were._ "You're welcome to stay."

I took a deep breath. "Sorry. I'm going back to the dorms to study. I've been so distracted today that I haven't practiced any of my spellwork."

"No worries. I'll see you tonight, then," he smiled and climbed up the ladder, giving me a quick wave before disappearing.

The rest of us split up. I was sure Beckett was already headed to the library to do his homework and his extracurricular reading. I would have joined him, but I actually needed to _focus _if I was going to get better. Zeph wanted to take a walk before heading back to the dorm, which left Shreya and I. We walked back to our room, chatting about the better things that had happened in our days. When we got to our lounge, I went to my room and flopped down on my bed. I pulled some books off of my desk and opened two of them to the pages we'd left off on in class. Bobby hopped up on the foot of the bed and made himself comfortable, watching me struggle. I tried to steady my mind and read, but the words seemed jumbled to me. Nothing made sense anymore. I looked around the room, looking for inspiration to focus. The top drawer caught my eye. I opened it and stared at the torn photograph. _I need to focus. If I'm going to do anything around here, I can't slack off._ I sat back in my chair and concentrated on my breathing. For the next hour, I practiced every spell I'd learned, from hand motions to actual conjuring of the spells, in moderation, of course. I was tired and couldn't have done them full force if I'd wanted to.

"Sky. Sky!" Shreya shook my shoulder.

I groaned. "Yeah?"

"It's almost ten. It's time to go," she said. I guess I'd fallen asleep.

I looked at my watch. "Oh, crap. You're right." We rushed out of the dorm and to the library, getting there just in time.

"You're late," Beckett looked up from the table. Griffin and Zeph were already seated across from him.

I sat next to him. "Sorry. I fell asleep."

"Did you get your studying in?" Griffin asked, and I nodded.

"Not as much as I would've liked, but more than I would have otherwise," I ran a hand through my hair, trying to wake myself up.

Shreya sat next to me as Beckett discussed his game plan. We needed to split up to find books on shadow creatures, ward magic, and anything else that might seem useful.

"After all the time Beckett and I spent in here shelving these books, finding what we need should be easy-peasy," I joked, knowing it would never be that simple.

"Don't underestimate the library, Skyler," Beckett confirmed my suspicion. "It has all sorts of secrets."

I turned fully towards him. "Alright. You're the expert here. Where should we start?"

"We should each bring back a stack of books that seem relevant and skim through them," he started. "Griffin and I will handle investigating this rock the creature left behind. I know a few geology texts that might have the answer."

"You don't want to be my research buddy again?" I teased.

He looked away toward one of the shelves. "No, it's just… Griffin is an Earth-Att. This is-"

I patted his shoulder and laughed. "I know, Beckett. I'm just teasing you." I squeezed his shoulder lightly before letting go. "I'll find the information on the shadow creatures then."

"Zeph and I will look into the reflection you keep seeing," Shreya said, giving Zeph a look, to which he nodded.

I nodded. "Let's get to it."

We all split up to find our sections. After a while, we had so many books that we took up three tables. The next hour was spent skimming through our respected piles, taking note of _anything_ that could be relevant.

"Hey, Shreya. Look what I drew next to this unicorn," Zeph held a book out to her at the table next to mine.

She snickered. "Pft, is it stabbing someone in the butt?"

Griffin closed the book he'd just finished with a huff, sounding a bit like Beckett. "Will you two actually focus and quit drawing in library books? We have work to do."

"What do you mean drawing in library books?" Beckett shot up from his seat like a pope hearing whispers of blasphemy. "You can't be serious… you wouldn't actually…," the look of horror on his face was worth the poor book's defacing.

I chuckled to myself as I watched Griffin snatch the book from Zeph and erase the drawing. I closed the book I'd just finished myself and started on an encyclopaedia of magical creatures. I flipped through it, looking for relevant titles or keywords, and stopped on a page with a ton of illustrations, one of which looked a bit bigger than the two creatures I'd dealt with, but was definitely on the right track. I held the book up to show the group.

"Looks like this," I said, pointing to the shadowy beast.

Beckett shot up from his chair and leaned over me to look closer at the picture. He was close enough for me to smell his cologne, one hand perched on the back of my chair and the other on the table only inches away from my own. "Possibly…," he mumbled. "Let me see that," he took the book from my hands and scanned the page next to the pictures. "It says here that this monster appears sporadically, and has only ever been seen on the West Coast."

"West Coast? Of…," then it dawned on me. "Are we even in North America?" The four of them looked at me like I was crazy. "What? I don't know how I got here, remember? I was literally dumped in a lake blindly. I didn't exactly get the welcome brochure." After a moment, I looked back at the book. "So, by the looks I'm getting and the weather patterns around here, I assume we're near the East Coast, so I suppose this isn't as relevant as I'd hoped."

"New Hampshire," Beckett said softly before turning to take his seat. I nodded my appreciation and continued to scan the encyclopaedia with a sigh.

Zeph opened a new book, making his stack just low enough for me to see over. There were a lot of bright colours and pictures, one of which was some sort of rainbow connecting two people. "Zeph, that doesn't look like research." I hated to sound like my mother, but I was exhausted and pent up and overall nearing my wit's end.

"Oh! Sorry, I got distracted…," he quickly closed that book and rubbed the back of his neck shyly.

I was about to go back to my skimming when Shreya called me over. "Sky, come take a look at this."

"Did you find something on the creature?" I asked, standing up to see what she was looking at.

"Better! I thought I'd see if the spellwork section had anything in it and I found this Moon spell!" she pointed to the page. "It could help with our investigation."

I furrowed my brows. "Shreya, that's pretty high-level magic. Do you really think I could do that?"

She waved me off. "Nonsense. Aren't you a Sun-Att? You should have more than enough potential to pull it off! Besides, it's way too useful to pass up."

"I guess we could give it a try. What does it do?" I followed her gaze to the old browned pages.

"Moon magic deals with emotions and manipulating them," she explained. "This spell makes a person more open, so they'll be more willing to tell you secrets," she said, in a more hushed tone.

"So like a truth spell?" I asked.

She teetered her hand. "Not quite. They won't tell you anything they wouldn't normally, but they _will_ be more talkative about what they're really thinking."

"If we could figure out who to ask, this could help us get more information," I said, looking between her and the page.

She nodded. "Exactly, and since I'm feeling generous, I'll even let you practice using it on me. Honestly, if I have to read another dry tome, I might just die," she looked up at me, pleading in an almost demanding way.

"Yeah, let's give it a whirl," I agreed. "I could use a change of scenery right about now anyway."

She stood up and looped her arm with mine. "We'll be back, boys." She pulled me down to the far side of the library near the staircase Beckett and I had taken to get to the gallery. "Come on then, try it on me. The book says you first have to clear your mind of all emotion."

I let out an unintentional laugh. "Why does every spell require me to clear my mind? I really need to meditate more or something."

She smacked her lips then took my hand. "Clear your mind, then put your hand on the person's shoulder," she placed my hand on her shoulder, "and stare deeply into their eyes."

I closed my eyes, trying to void out all of the shock, anxiety, and… well, everything else that could negatively affect the spell. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. When I opened my eyes, I let my fingers grip her shoulder gently and stared into her eyes. She batted her eyelashes daintily.

"Shreya, stop it," I laughed. "I can't concentrate if you're goofing off."

"What? Am I distracting you?" she beamed.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts again. I stared into her eyes. The tips of my fingers felt warm on her shoulder. After a moment, her smile faltered. "Well? Do you feel any different?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said slowly. "I feel like… Sky!" she looked down at my feet. "Are you really wearing _those_ shoes? What were you thinking? They don't go with your outfit at all!"

I looked down at my Vans, knowing full well that they matched my grey jeans and red sweater. It's why I picked them. I pursed my lips. "There is _nothing_ wrong with my outfit. _You're_ just picky."

"You look so precious when you're embarrassed. I really should tease you more often, just to see that face. It's priceless," she smirked up at me. "_You_ have a big ol' crush on Beckett, don't you," she narrowed her eyes at me. "I don't like him. He's so snooty."

"Well, it works," I took my hand back, regretting this decision, "but I'm starting to think this was a bad idea."

She shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm having fun. Ask me something!"

I said the first question that came to mind. "What's the most embarrassing thing you've ever done?"

Without missing a beat, she answered, "When I was a kid, I dressed up like a dragon for Halloween."

"That's embarrassing?" I asked, thinking it would actually be pretty cute.

"I loved the costume so much that I refused to take it off," she continued.

"That doesn't sound so bad. We all had outfits like that," I said, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't take it off for weeks," she added.

"Oh," I chuckled.

"I got so caked in dirt that the zipper got stuck and my parents had to cut me out of it," she told me. "Quick, ask me something else!" she bounced with excitement.

"Um… Do you think I have a chance with Beckett?" I asked, unable to get him out of my head. "I haven't been this attracted to someone in a long time. It's like my radar is stuck on him."

Her expression hardened. "It's not whether you have a chance with him, it's whether he has a chance with _you,_" she put her hand on her hip. "I don't like his attitude. I think you deserve better, Sky."

"Why don't you tell me how you really feel?" my brow pinched, not knowing if that was supposed to be taken as a compliment or a warning.

"The spell already wore off, genius. You're lucky it did. I have extra words about this," she said protectively. "If you decide to go for it and he hurts you, they'll never find the body."

I snorted. "You're ridiculous, Shreya."

She shrugged and put her hand on her hip. "I'd argue that I'm just looking out for you. After all, I did convince you to learn this Moon spell for your own benefit. Oh, and Sky, just so you know… if you tell anyone about my secrets, I will personally fill your room with Sleethers," she grinned.

"I don't know what those are, but I'm not really in the mood to find out," I zipped my lips shut with an imaginary zipper and threw the key behind me. She giggled and the two of us ducked back into the library.  
On our way back over, we heard raised voices. We looked at each other and hurried over to investigate the commotion. Griffin and Beckett were stood there arguing with one another across the table.

"it's the best way for us to-," Beckett started.

"It's not an option!" Griffin shouted back.

I stood beside them and held out my hands to stop them from leaning any closer to each other. "Guys, we're in a library. Why are you yelling?"

"He's suggesting a ridiculous-," Griffin held is hand out to gesture to his rival.

"What I'm suggesting would make finding what we're looking for a lot easier!" Beckett retorted.

"Woah, one at a time. Beckett, what are you talking about?" I asked.

He took a deep breath and straightened his blazer, which I noticed he did a lot when he was nervous. "I know a spell that summons what a person needs, if they concentrate hard enough, including a book with the information you're looking for."

"It's too risky! If something goes wrong, it could-," Griffin objected.

"I am fully capable," Beckett glared back at him. "The spell just involves placing my hand on the forehead of the person I'm casting on. It is _not_ a big deal."

I looked between them, a silence lingering as the tension grew. "What are the risks?" I asked. "It's important to know what we're getting into."

Beckett huffed and crossed his arms. "When channelled wrong, the spell can leave the individual confused, sometimes for days," he explained calmly, but that disappeared real fast. "But I'm a _rather_ _skilled_ caster. You'll be fine."

I let my arms fall to my sides as I pondered his offer. _It's not a permanent side-effect, but if something happens, it could be massively inconvenient._ "It _would_ be faster than searching by hand," I muttered aloud, looking down at the tables filled with towers of books. Griffin was about to protest again, but backed off and nodded. "Alright, I think it's worth the risk." Within seconds, Beckett's hands were on either side of my head, his thumbs touching in the middle of my forehead. "Um," I hesitated. "Just… give me a sec…" I blushed. With him standing that close, not to mention laying his hands on me, my mind was not nearly clear enough to focus on reading material. _Stop thinking about Beckett… and how close he is… and how good he smells… and… Stop! Shadow beasts. Attacks. Unsafe._ I tried to concentrate, fighting my own body and mind.

"Just think about these shadow monsters you encountered." I closed my eyes and tried to think about the first attack, the small shadow wisp, and the second, the larger and slightly more terrifying shadow creature. My vision went from black to white and flashes of the dorm and the hallway and a classroom went by so quickly that it made me dizzy. I had an instant headache.

I clutched at the sides of my head with a bit louder of a gasp then I'd intended. Griffin took a step towards me, but I held out my hand. "I'm fine." I rubbed at my temples and had to blink several times to get my vision straight again. "That was just… a lot…" I swayed a bit, not at the top of my balance game. "I need to sit down," I groaned. As I reached for where I thought the chair was, I missed it. Beckett quickly threw his arm around me and helped me get situated. I hadn't realised how thick his arms were until that moment.

"That should have…," Beckett started, looking around the room. Not one book had changed its flight pattern. Suddenly, a loud thud echoed around the large room. We all looked at each other, then around the room. We followed the sound until the banging was louder than the throbbing in my head. There was a bookcase against the wall on the adjacent wall to the snake statue.

"Is the sound coming from… behind it?" I asked, feeling the vibrations along the shelf I was leaning against. "I can feel a draught. I think there might be some kind of room behind this."

Beckett ran his hand along the edge of the bookshelf. "I feel it, too."

Griffin and Zeph nodded to each other and pulled at the case until it revealed an opening in the wall. The secret room was dark and dusty, like it hadn't been touched in nearly one hundred years. I would have paid more attention to the décor, but a book flapped towards us, nearly hitting me in the face. I held it in my hand and looked over the cover.

"Who's making all that racket?" the librarian's voice echoed toward us.

"Sky! Hurry! I don't think we're supposed to be here," Shreya spun around anxiously.

I flipped open the leather-bound book and started scanning, but the book flipped its own pages until I was where I needed to be. I began to read.

_There have been no recorded instances of a Blood-Att successfully taking a human soul. For more information, see the diagram on page 394. _

I turned the pages swiftly, trying not to think about an obvious Harry Potter joke, but when I reached 392, the pages after it were all missing. I looked at the binding, seeing the remanence of the torn paper. "Where's the rest of it?" I asked the book.

"Skyler! Time's up. Librarian's coming!" Griffin urged me to come back out. I let the book go and it flapped back to its shelf. When I ducked out, Zeph and Griffin shifted the bookcase back into place. Just in time, too. Mr. Korningshwip turned the corner just as their hands left the wood. We darted the other direction, making it down the other aisle before he could see us. Somehow, we made it back to the main section of the library before getting busted.

"That book opened to a page on Blood magic. Aster said she heard the word 'blood' when the trees spoke to her!" I whispered urgently at Shreya. "We must be on the right track."

"Maybe someone's using Blood magic to send those monsters after you," Griffin suggested solemnly.

"But… why would someone go through all that effort, though?" Zeph asked. "Blood magic is notoriously difficult to do."

"Not to mention illegal!" Shreya added. "Whoever they are, they must really want to get you, Sky."

"I am so confused," I shook my head, the headache still pounding in my temples. "I wish I knew what was on those missing pages," I rubbed my head again as I leaned against the table. "Obviously, someone thought they were worth keeping… or worth hiding from the rest of the world."

"I bet they had a Blood magic spell on them!" Zeph whispered. "Or sketches of a dark ritual! Or some kind of terrible curse!"

"Should we sneak back inside once the librarian is gone?" Shreya asked, nearly reading my mind. "See if we can learn anything else?"

I sighed. "I don't know. The pages I needed were ripped out, so unless there's another book…"

"Maybe they're somewhere inside?" Zeph suggested.

Beckett shook his head. "Doubtful. If there was anything more useful to us than that book, my spell would have summoned _it_ instead."

"Which means," Griffin started, "we should probably call it a night. I don't think the library will have any more answers for us."

Shreya groaned and leaned against the other table. "I feel like we barely learned anything… Too bad someone ripped out those pages. Then at least we'd have a lead."

Beckett grinned. "I'd say it was a fairly successful night, actually. Now we know what type of magic to associate with these creatures."

"And we discovered another cool Penderghast secret," Zeph agreed.

I sighed. "You're right. We're one step closer to figuring this out, even if it is a smaller step than I'd hoped for."

We all packed up shortly after that and went our separate ways for the night. When Shreya and I got back to our room, I jumped into the shower immediately. It was easier for me to think in there than in my room. When I was done, I wrapped my towel around my waist and leaned against the sink, trying to clear my mind so I could rest. _I'm so tired. I thought life couldn't get any crazier after magic, but no… monsters are trying to kill me… Awesome…_ I heaved a sigh and looked up at the steam covered mirror. Through the haze, I noticed my hair was off again. "You've got to be kidding me…" I didn't dare wipe at the reflection. I was too scared. I took a few steps back. I rubbed at my eyes, thinking I was hallucinating again, but he was still there in his black leather jacket when I looked back up. I was frozen. I didn't think he could reach me this time, but what if he stepped through? What if I was about to be attacked again? His finger met his side of the mirror and traced its way through the steam, writing the word 'blood' backwards so I could read it. _Jesus…_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: Do You Believe In Magic?

The night my reflection scared the shit out of me in the bathroom seemed to disappear from time, though it didn't leave my mind for a second. Three weeks of nightmares, scouring for information, and looking over my shoulder every minute dragged us by our ankles. We were on edge for the entirety of it, but nothing happened. Not a single thing. No reflection, no moving shadows, nothing.

On the other hand, I managed to pass Spellwork 1A and move onto Spellwork 1B, and I was finally able to start my Sun-Att training with Professor Swan in the second quarter. She'd told me to keep my head down, but I'd been searching for three weeks. I hoped that she'd found something that I hadn't. It took quite a toll on my mental health, being anxious all the time. I just wanted all of it to be over.

That Monday morning, I hiked up passed the main building, venturing farther up the large hilly campus than I'd ever gone. "I should have slept in those extra five minutes," I huffed to myself, out of breath from the number of stairs I'd have to take every day for the next three semesters. "Why am I so beat today?"

Footsteps echoed behind me. I turned around and leaned against the metal railing of the stairs. Professor Swan was skipping up the stairs, two at a time, and waving at me with an exaggerated motion. "Sorry, Skyler! You know how it is. One minute you're watching the clock, the next a swarm of bubble-bugs has floated through your window!"

I shrugged. "Yeah, right. That happens all the time."

I followed her a bit farther up until we reached what looked like a round mausoleum. It was a short marble building with figures carved into the walls; centaurs, satyrs, minotaurs, and sirens battled under a brightly shining sun, inlayed with pure gold. Swan did a complex hand gesture and presented it to a golden door, making it open silently inward.

"After you, Skyler," she gestured for me to entre first. "This room is all yours, after all."

The inside of the room was even crazier. The marble floor had gold veins that all met in the center of the room like a spiderweb. In the middle stood a stone pedestal with leaf-like decorations under the main slab. Upon the pedestal sat a clear crystal that shimmered in the sunlight shining in from the open roof, making the walls and columns glitter with star-like light. The dome above us rounded up to a circle in the center, the hole for the light, and had sun and moon emblems spaced every two meters from each other. It was overwhelmingly beautiful, and very bright.

"The smell of the morning sun is so invigorating, don't you think?" Swan took a deep breath and stood in the direct sunlight for a moment.

"I'd be more invigorated by the smell of coffee," I half-joked. I was exhausted and hadn't managed to get much sleep in the past few weeks.

"I'm more of a tea person, myself," she shrugged and let her bag fall off of her shoulder into her hand. "Now, I have a question before we begin. I'd appreciate your honesty," she stared straight at me. I had a feeling I knew what she was about to ask me. "With regards to these mysterious creatures that have been attacking you, have you stayed out of trouble and kept your head down?"

I nodded. "Of course I have, just as you asked," I lied through my teeth. "That's a lie. I've been looking into it for three weeks and haven't come up with anything helpful," my brow pinched as I tried to figure out why I just blabbed. "Did you cast a moon spell on me?" I asked.

She sighed. "I did. I wish you didn't feel the need to lie to me," she frowned.

I scoffed. "I can't just sit on my hands and do nothing when I _know_ someone or _something_ is out there wanting me dead."

"I just worry that you're going to draw unnecessary attention to the subject of your research," she put a hand on her hip and the other on her forehead, taking a moment to process the information. "We'll continue this conversation later. No use dwelling on gloomy thoughts when we're surrounded by so much sun," she looked up, relaxing as she breathed in the morning. When she looked back at me, her face was much stricter than her normal expression. "You and I are here today because each Attuned's Attunement lends them special abilities. Being a Sun-Att predisposes you towards prescience," she beamed excitedly. "Which means that you innately have a certain degree of foresight about what's to come."

I laughed. "Wait. I can tell the future?"

She squinted at me. "Um, no. Not exactly. Prescience is more of having a _feeling_ that something is going to happen. A gut feeling, if you will."

With a smile still on my face, I corrected myself. "So, you're saying I can gut-feel the future?"

She shrugged, almost laughing. "It's a muddy science, but it's fascinating. The degree of prescience attainable by each Sun-Att depends on your latent potential, of course."

I smirked. "Well, good news. According to Professor Kontos, I've got an ale tankard's worth of magical potential," I remembered my Attunement test.

She excitedly clapped her hands. "Wonderful! I've never trained a Sun-Att before. I can't wait to see how powerful you are, and prescience is the perfect place to start." She took a few breaths to calm herself, then gestured for me to sit on the floor with her while she explained. "Think of the sun as a marker of time passing. The day progresses as the sun moves through the sky, so tapping into your Sun abilities will give you a feeling for the future. With practice, patience, and power, of course, you may be able to get so much more than _just_ a gut feeling."

"You're saying I could get visions?" I asked, thinking back to the times I'd seen something I'd never seen before in a dream or getting flashes of places before going there.

"I have no way of predicting how your prescience will manifest," she said. "In my case, I usually get very cold feet, an itch in my nose, and weird bright spots in my vision that form images if I squint at them."

"That… sounds like it's really confusing to experience…," I cocked my head at her, trying to wrap my mind around the concept. "How are you supposed to figure out what you're foretelling with so much going on?"

"Did you expect magic to be easy, Skyler?" she eyed me curiously. "Like I said, prescience is a muddy science. It does what it wants, and we have to figure it out."

I shrugged. "Well, I guess weird prescience is better than no prescience. How do we start?"

She crossed her legs in front of her, kicking off the thick black heels she'd been wearing. "The first step in developing your prescience is strengthening your connection with the sun. I find meditation to be quite helpful," she placed the backs of her wrists on her knees and straightened her posture. "Just close your eyes and feel the sun's warmth sink into you, then work on merging your energy with it." She gestured for me to try it.

"Is there a specific position I should be in for this?" I asked, mimicking her posture.

"Just sit however you're comfortable," she said, watching me intensely.

I repositioned myself to sit more comfortably, my legs loosely crossed and my hands draped in my lap, fingers intertwined. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The sunlight made my eyelids look red and orange. I tried to focus on the sound of the birds chirping and the breeze blowing in through the hole in the ceiling. One by one, I pushed those distractions out of my mind. I could feel my chest warming in the sunlight. I felt energised.

"Skyler! Look out! It's storming!" I could hear her voice, but then a strong gust of wind hit me in the face, making me lose all focus. I kept my eyes closed, knowing she was testing me, and tried to re-center myself. I took another deep breath through my nose, feeling the cool breeze and smelling the morning dew. I felt warmer than I had before. "Impressive… very impressive," I heard her say, but it seemed distant, like I was far away.

After another breath, I felt like I was floating. I couldn't feel the ground or her presence or my own hair brushing over my eyebrow as it usually did. I'd never felt that relaxed in my life. Suddenly, a bright light flashed behind my eyelids. I couldn't tell if it was coming from the room or my own brain. I opened my mind, letting the light mix with my own energy. The glow only got brighter until all I could see was white. I could feel my fingers tingling.

"Oh my!" Swan's voice struck me like a gong and my eyes slammed open. All I could see was white still.

"What's going on?" I asked, looking around, barely able to see her outline. I looked down at myself, trying to find my hands. After a moment, my eyes adjusted. "Oh my god, I'm glowing!" My hands were radiating with light, as if I were a brand-new light bulb. As soon as I lost focus, the glow faded and the room became visible again. Panic suddenly appeared in the back of my mind. I was flooded with anxiety, but as quickly as it set on, it disappeared, leaving me as relaxed as I was before. "Was that supposed to happen?" I asked, looking up at her shocked face.

She nodded slowly. "I never expected… not on your first try…," she stared at me like I was an alien. After a moment, she composed herself, grinning widely. "Skyler, you just connected profoundly with the power of the Sun! This is beyond anything I imagined!"

"I felt so warm and relaxed. I think I like this prescience thing," I stared down at my hands again, balling them into fists and releasing slowly, almost hoping something would happen.

Swan had me practice for a bit longer, challenging me to hold it longer as she did everything in her power to distract me. It worked a few times, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly. She looked down at her watch. "Thank you, Skyler, that's enough. We can finish up for today."

I jumped to my feet a little too quickly, feeling a bit light headed. I stretched my arms and reached for my toes. "Who knew sitting for an hour in the same position would make me stiff?" I joked.

Swan giggled. "I sense much potential in you, but remember, anybody who gets anywhere in life puts in that extra bit of work."

"That sounds like homework," I said when I stood up straight, stretching my back.

"Think of it as independent study, and think of how future Skyler, who has full mastery of his prescience, will thank you," she grinned. "I'd like for you to meditate regularly. Begin by trying to foretell simple things, like what you're going to eat for an upcoming meal." I immediately thought of "simple things" that might not be so simple. I thought of trying to predict when my reflection would show itself again, or when the next shadow might show up. Swan cocked her head at my silence. "Skyler? Is there more you haven't told me? You don't have to face things alone."

I stared into her eyes and my gut told me I could trust her, not to mention if I'd lied, she'd just moon spell me again. "Professor… There's more going on than just the shadow creatures," I said. The only thing she really didn't know about was the reflection. I told her about the number of times I'd seen him and how he looks so similar to me that it was honestly a bit creepy.

Her eyes went wide. "Oh my. Oh- oh my! I need to-," she packed her notes back into her bag hastily and slung it over her shoulder. "Oh my goodness- oh dear!" She rushed out of the room without another word, leaving me alone and rather confused.

"See you later, I guess?" I threw my arms up in defeat. I walked around the room a bit, wondering why she would have panicked that much without telling me anything. Eventually, I sat down and decided to try and foresee something relevant. I felt the sunlight on my back and head as I closed my eyes and tried to relax. It was just like the times before, but one thing was different. I almost felt the urge to vomit. Something hit me like a fist to the gut and sent me into a blinding white vortex. I tried to balance myself as I seemed to spiral down into the twister of light, but I couldn't move. I was completely paralysed. Three images flashed rather quickly in front of my eyes. The main courtyard of campus, the foyer of the main building, and the Hall of Mirrors. As quickly as I'd seen it, it all disappeared and my conscience was thrown back into my body, making me feel a bit sick. _I saw something! But… what the hell does it mean?!_ I rubbed at my temples as a loud chime echoed through the room. _Lunch. Thank god._ I was starving. _Food first. Making sense of visions later. Priorities, Skyler!_ I struggled to my feet, grabbed my bag, then headed down the abundance of stairs to the main building.

Over the next few days, I tried to make sense of what I'd seen and tried to see anything else that could link the pieces together, but all I managed to see were the same three flashes. After Thief practice a few days after I'd first seen the visions, my Spellwork 1B class was meeting out in the woods for some hands-on study. Beckett and I were paired up again, not that I minded, but he seemed awkward every time we worked together since the group research in the library.

"Hey," I said, leaning close to him as we investigated the trees we'd been assigned. "Have you found anything else out in the library recently?"

He let out an annoyed sigh. "Skyler, we've scoured every book, some twice, some _thrice_. I can't believe I'm saying this, but the library might not help us."

Professor Englund made his rounds then addressed he class as a whole, standing next to the thickest tree in the area. "I'm sure you're all wondering what we're doing out in the woods. Today's lesson involves using Wood magic to create resin. Can anyone tell me some qualities of resin in magic?"

Without raising his hand, or learning his lesson from the last several times he'd been scolded for it, Beckett answered, "Resin not only has healing and protective qualities, but can be manipulated by almost every element, so it's extremely versatile."

Englund touched his fingertips to his forehead, but apparently didn't feel like scolding Beckett for the umpteenth time. "Correct, and because wood magic is fairly tricky, today's lesson is also a companion magic lesson. You'll be melding your magic with another's. One of you will channel the Wood component of this spell, while the other channels Water." He touched his index and middle fingers together at chest level. "When performed alone, this stance can help meld Wood, the element of natural life, with Water, that which nurtures natural life. You must first sense the sap in the tree, then channel you magic into it. Use Water to thicken the sap under the bark, and Wood to channel it to the surface. Then say 'Rethina'," as he said it, he pulled his hands apart slowly, revealing a viscous rope of amber. He rolled one of his hands then pushed it outwards toward us, turning the resin into a shield in a swift movement. "Medicinal to decorative, defensive to offensive, resin is an extremely valuable substance to have magical mastery over. Now, get to work with your partners."

"Oh… Okay…," Beckett frowned when I looked over at him.

"We were partnered up yesterday. Do you not want to work with me or something?" I asked, pouting a bit. He'd been acting strange for almost two weeks, and it was starting to make me nervous.

He looked away. "It isn't that. It's just… I have a fair bit of difficulty with Wood, as it is Metal's counterpart. Please don't laugh."

I pursed my lips at him. "_That's _what you're so closed off about? Sorry to break it to you, Mr. Perfect, but nobody can do everything, not even you. I'm not going to laugh at you for sucking at Wood magic. Besides, I'm no slacker. This'll be a breeze for us."

He flapped his hand at me, looking around urgently. "Skyler, please! Keep it down! I have a reputation to uphold!" he whispered angrily.

I chortled. "Now _that_ I will laugh at. Don't get your shorts twisted. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. You're supposed to have trouble with the element opposite yours. That's kind of the whole point. Stop being embarrassed about being normal."

"But I'm not _meant_ to be normal, Skyler," he glared at me, crossing his arms and mumbling to himself. "I'm meant to be extraordinary."

I laughed again. "You know, you're cute when you're flustered."

"C-cute?" he stuttered, a blush creeping up his neck.

I nodded enthusiastically. "Yup. Your cheeks get all red and you do this pouty thing with your lips," I bit my lower lip. "It gets me all riled up."

He shook his head slowly. "Please, quit with the teasing, Skyler. There's only so much of your foolishness I can handle first thing in the morning." When he looed away from me, I could see how red his ears were.

"There! You're doing it right now," I gushed, taking a step towards him when he wasn't paying attention. "I like the way your ears get red before your cheeks do," I bit my lip again, looking up at him with doe eyes.

He fought a smile, trying really hard to look serious. "You are absolutely ridiculous," he chuckled softly.

"Less chatting in that corner, Skyler, Beckett!" Englund's voice travelled over the other students to us.

I beamed up at him. "We've been caught."

"Perhaps we should get to work then," he suggested, meeting my eyes for the first time that morning.

"Perhaps we should," I looked down at his hand, grazing his blazer cuff with my fingers. "I can handle the wood and you can handle the water, okay?"

He blushed again. "V-very well. Let us attempt this, at least."

"Focus on finding each other's magical energy," Englund addressed the class again.

I held my index and middle finger out to him. He straightened his blazer and touched his finger to mine. I could feel his magic run through me. It tasted like… you know when you're eating cereal with an old spoon and you can taste the steel? Like that. Or I suppose a more accurate description would be like when you have a coin in your mouth. Don't judge. You've all done it. I looked up from our hands to his face, which was scrunched up in concentration. I tried not to laugh. Suddenly, his eyes shot open. "Your energy is so… warm!" he blurted out.

"Yeah, yeah, and yours is metallic. Are we doing this or what?" I teased. He nodded and we turned to face the tree, fingers still touching. After a moment of focusing, I could feel the movement of the tree, the sap running through it, and the life pulsing out of its bark.

"It's like I can feel the tree's life force, as though the sap is blood flowing through it's veins," Beckett raved excitedly. "Can you feel that, Skyler?"

I nodded. "We're definitely on the right track. Next is making the actual resin."

I could feel what his magic was doing as it mixed with the sap, thickening it. I focused on its location and finding a way to make it rise to the surface.

"Looking good, you two," Englund was right behind us, watching our progress. When I found a good way to channel it out, I moved the sap through the bark, creating an amber bubble, swirling with a sheen between our fingers as they slowly separated. "Wonderful work! One more step left."

I took a quick breath and both of us spoke the incantation at the same time. "Rethina." The ball of swirling sap crystalized and fell to the ground with a soft thump.

"Fantastic work, you two," Englund praised. "You're the first to have succeeded."

I turned to Beckett and held my hand up for a celebratory high-five. "I can't believe how easy that was. We're are totally compatible." Beckett looked down at me, red brushing across his face. "I mean, our energies," I quickly corrected, blushing myself. I put my hand down awkwardly, all of my slick flirtatiousness drained.

He held up his hand, palm out, and looked off into the woods. "Don't make me look silly," his face was completely serious, but he didn't look mean.

I held my palm against his. "I couldn't if I tried," I beamed, leaving my hand pressed with his for long enough to make him blush and take a step back, straightening his blazer.

He rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Companion magic sure is something. That must be the quickest I've ever learnt a spell."

"We're just that good-," I started to say, but then my vision went hazy and the world began to shake. I fell backwards onto the grass, landing on my butt with my hand to my head.

"Skyler! What just happened?" he knelt down in front of me, his hand on my shoulder.

I shook my head when my sight returned, confirming that it wasn't just a moment of clarity. "Nothing. I'm fine," I held up my hand to tell him to stop worrying.

"It must have been a rebound from casting such an advanced spell. I used to suffer dizzy spells when I was still a novice," he took my hand and pulled me up. "Don't worry. The more you practice, the less you'll be affected by performing high-level magic."

"Or it has something to do with the fact that I've been casting all afternoon and haven't eaten since yesterday," I said, my hand still to my head. I was sure that was it, but the back of my mind kept thinking it was something else. Something felt off…

After class, I went back to my room to study. Bobby helped me practice the resin spell, which seemed just as easy the second time, but I didn't get dizzy at all… well, not until the third time. I got so dizzy that I'd lost concentration and the resin turned to water and splashed on the floor. I fell back on the bed with a groan. "If magic exists, why can't we prevent headaches?" I asked my little pal. He cocked his head at me and licked my hand.

"Clear out your schedule tonight, Sky!" Shreya slammed my door open, making both me and Bobby jump clear to the other side of the bed. "We've got a date with the deep dark forest, and we _cannot_ miss it."

I stared at her outfit, a tight, blue, low-cut dress with a rhinestone gradient fading out towards the top. It was fancy for even her. "Say that again, only calmer this time."

She grinned, her eyes sparkling like they did when she was up to something. "I was in Penn Square and I ran into Griffin, who told me about the rave in the woods tonight to celebrate the December solstice!" she said in one breath. "It's super exclusive, as in underclassmen aren't invited. _But_, if we can find the rave on our own, we can get in like he did last year!"

"You're saying you want to trample through the forest in the middle of the night for a rave we might not even find?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What's with that glass-half-empty outlook?" she pursed her lips. "Zeph's already on board, and I waylaid Smartypants outside the library and got him to promise to come along, too, if that doesn't convince you."

I laughed, thinking of Beckett being _overwhelmingly _misplaced at a party. "In that case, we'll find it for sure, and a party sounds fun after all this studying." My stomach let out a loud growl. "There'll be food, right?" She nodded with a giggle. "Then count me in!"

She let out a delighted squeal and tossed the shopping bag she'd been carrying at me. "Inspired as I was, I made a pitstop at Maison D'Yew and found you the perfect look for tonight!" The shirt I pulled out of the bag was made of a fabric that seemed to shine like the night sky itself. "You'll be the talk of the entire school in this, which is only natural when hanging out with me. I wouldn't be caught dead with you wearing that," she pointed to my current attire. I'd put on comfy jeans and an old long-sleeve to study, thinking I wasn't going out again that night.

"Fine, whatever, I'll change," I chuckled, setting the shirt on the bed and standing up to change. "Turn around, maybe?" I joked when I saw her staring at me giddily.

"Right! Sorry. I'm just excited," she turned and covered her eyes with her hands. I pulled my shirt off and slipped the short-sleeved button up over my head. My jeans looked even worse with the new shirt, so I dug around in my closet for a nice pair of tight, black flooders I used to wear for late night occasions back in Toronto. When I looked myself over, I pursed my lips. _Oh, no. Fix it_. I rolled the sleeves of the shirt up to my shoulders and posed. The sparkly fabric really worked for me. I picked out a pair of black loafers to complete the look. Shreya peeked around and whistled. "Oh, my eyes are feeling so _blessed_ right now," she clapped her hands together then grabbed my arm and pulled me along behind her.

I looked back at Bobby, who looked rather confused on my bed. "We'll be back, Bobby. See you later," I waved a quick goodbye before closing my door. I ran a hand through my hair on the way out to make sure I looked presentable after all my cramming.

Nearly an hour later, Shreya, Zeph, Beckett, and I were wondering aimlessly though the woods. We had no idea where we were, and we'd been looking for over thirty minutes.

"I'd like it to be known that I will not tramp around all night long when I could be studying," Beckett huffed, his arms crossed.

"Beckett, I hate to be the judgemental one, but like… what did you _do_ as a kid?" Zeph stared in disbelief at him.

"Wait, Beck, just think of all the interesting plants that could be out here. What better chance to get in some field research?" I suggested, just trying to get him to stop whining for a few minutes.

"Do _not_ call me that," he retorted, looking angrier than before. All of our tempers were running a bit short at this point.

Shreya held up her hand. "Pend Pals, shush! We won't be able to hear the party over your bickering!"

"I have an idea," I said, sitting on the grass. "I've been practicing my prescience, and I think I can get a feel for where this party is." I concentrated on my breath, pushing the group's agitation out of my head. I felt my stomach churn a bit and got a flash of a brightly lit clearing. I tried to stand up, but I fell over almost immediately.

"Sky, you okay?" Zeph knelt down next to me and helped me up.

I groaned. "Yeah. Party's this way," I pointed between a few trees just off the path. Beckett and Shreya took off in the direction I'd given and Zeph held my arm as we followed after them. _I don't feel so great…_

After a bit more walking, we found the party. The forest clearing was covered in floating multi-coloured lights. Music drifted through the air, the bass making my heart thump to the beat. Several students were laughing and chatting in groups scattered all around us.

"Hey, guys! I knew you'd make it!" Griffin waved to us from his perch on a stone wall a small distance away. He jumped down and jogged over to us. "Just in time to get in on the moon gate magic!" He led us over to a group of students gathered around a stone arch built into the wall.

"Wild guess, that's the moon gate? What does it do?" I asked, having to talk louder than usual over the music.

"Each year on the winter solstice, if you have enough magical energy gathered around, it'll take you back to your past!" one of the students explained. "The catch is you don't know when you'll be taken back to, and it won't affect your present, but it's fun to relive things differently."

"Legitimate moon gates are extremely rare," Beckett stared at it in awe. "They only work if they're built by the fae. A man-made moon gate is nothing more than a decoration."

We all looked it over as magical energy swirled in the circle. A student appeared from nowhere, looking incredibly excited. "Any of you want to give it a go?" the kid that explained it to us asked.

"I do!" I shouted and ran over to the circle. I stared at the swirling magic until it sucked me in. "Woah!" The party disappeared around me. I couldn't hear the music or anything. When I looked around, I was suddenly underwater. _Not again!_ Luckily, this time I was forced out of the water by an unknown force and landed on the grass by the lake in the center of campus. "Here again? It's my first day at Penderghast!" I beamed, looking around at anything I may have missed the first time through. Griffin wasn't anywhere to be seen. I spun around, suddenly struck by a thought. I stared at the water, but the reflection was mine. I was wearing my plaid shirt from my first day.

"Are you having some sort of episode? Should I call the nurse?" a familiar voice asked.

I turned back around swiftly. "Beckett!" I beamed, loving the utter confusion on his face. "Wow, this is already different from last time."

He took a step back, his shock growing. "Who are you? How do you know me? Intruders shouldn't be able to break through the wards, but perhaps the lake is a weak spot," he began talking to himself. "I'll have you know I'm a highly proficient Metal-Att," he held his hands up in a defensive stance, sparks crackling at his fingertips.

I busted out laughing and nearly fell over. "I'm not an intruder! I know you because… um… because of your astounding academic reputation!" I lied.

He lowered his hands and smirked pridefully. "Ah, yes, that makes perfect sense. I suppose someone like you _would_ know about someone as intelligent as me," he gloated. "Though, I'm not sure how you managed to end up so far off course. I don't think anyone's ever come through the lake before."

I bit my lip. "Awe, you're cuter than you were last time."

He huffed. "Excuse me? Who are you calling-," he narrowed his eyes at me. "Wait, last time? Where did you say you came from?"

"I didn't," I grinned, loving how easy it was to screw with him.

He gasped. "Wait! I've heard about this kind of behaviour! You're a moon gate traveller! Quick! Tell me what scores I've received on my exams. I want to know what weaknesses I need to correct-"

I held up a hand. "Shove it, Hermione. I don't have long. You know how this works. Will you remember anything when I leave?" I asked.

He furrowed his bow. "No. This has no effect on-"

"Great," I beamed, rushing towards him and grabbing his lapels. I was about to kiss him, but before I could, I was dragged back to the party. The bass pounded in my ears. I walked back over to my friends, pouting a bit.

"So? Where did you go? What happened?" Shreya asked eagerly.

"Was I there?" Zeph inquired.

I smirked. "You weren't, but Beckett was, and I can confirm that he is a complete and total geek in every possible reality."

"What? If you went back in time and sabotaged my school grades, I swear I'll-," he started, but I put my hand on his shoulder, looking him dead in the eyes.

"You're just proving my point. What happens in the moon gate doesn't affect the present, remember?" I grinned slyly, knowing he'd never know what I tried to do. He tried to object, but I put my finger to his lip. "Don't worry, big guy. Your grades are safe."

When he began to fidget, I smirked and turned to Griffin. "Griff, that moon gate was incredible! I never thought I could relive my past. Trekking through the forest was worth it just for that."

"That's only a fraction of what's going on tonight," he beamed. "Enjoy the party. I recommend getting in one of the light shows. You can do lots of cool magic with the solstice's energy powering you up."

I sighed. "This might be a good time to mention that I'm not feeling so hot. I can barely cast anything without falling over."

"Maybe you've just been practicing too much," Griffin suggested.

Beckett scoffed. "It's the solstice, _obviously_. You're a Sun-Att," he crossed his arms, still a tinge of pink brushing his ears. When the rest of us didn't seem to follow, he rolled his eyes. "I have to explain everything to you people… The days have been getting shorter. Tonight is the longest _night_ of the year, one of heightened magical energy."

"Get to the point," I tried to hurry him along.

"_You_ must deal with the drain of the night upon your _Sun_ powers," he said. "Basically, it sucks to be you tonight."

Zeph snorted. "Dang, so everyone gets a power-up except Sky? That's rough, man."

"Aw, c'mon. You don't need magic to have fun at a party," Shreya threw her arm around my waist. "Think of all the parties you went to before you even knew you were Attuned!"

"No magic at a solstice rave? What are you, Tuneless?" a girl snickered behind me.

"It's not that big of a deal, is it?" her friend said. "Tonight's about celebrating the natural energy all around us. Just feeling it is enough."

The first girl snorted. "A solstice rave is about contributing to the magic, not just standing around and leeching off of everybody else's."

"How about you back off?" Shreya hissed. "Nobody asked you for your opinion!"

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. "Shreya, it's fine," I whispered to her. "I brought this," I held up a small crystal vial I'd shoved into my pocket before we'd left the dorm. It was the salvaged remains of the "close to perfect" potion I'd made a few weeks prior.

"Yawn. What am I supposed to be looking at, exactly?" the first girl rolled her eyes, her hand on her hip.

"Only the best daydream potion Kontos has ever graded," I swirled the golden liquid around in the vial. "I may have saved a bit," I grinned over my shoulder at Zeph.

"Ooh, Sky, you're _bad_," he grinned.

"You _stole_? From _class_?" Beckett's jaw hit the floor.

Shreya smirked. "Is it stealing if he made it himself? Experts say no, and by experts, I mean me."

The girl raised her eyebrow. "Daydream potion, huh? And what's to prove that's the real thing? First years are notorious for botching their first batch of daydream potions."

I smirked slyly. "One way to find out. Feeling brave?"

"I'm a bit concerned about how the magical amplification of the solstice may interfere with the potion's effects," Beckett blurted out nervously behind me.

"Interfere… or _enhance_?" Zeph threw his arm around me. "Pass it around, Sky. I can't wait to see what kind of magic I can do with some daydream potion helping!"

Everyone, except the ball of nerves, took a sip. I downed what was left. It tasted like apple cider with a pinch of cinnamon. The world became blurry as my fingers tingled with magic. "Okay, I'm feeling that amplification thing you were talking about," I mumbled. "I think I could do all the magic in the world!" I threw my arms out and spun around a few times. Bubbles flew out of my fingertips, some reaching record breaking sizes. "_So_ many bubbles!" I laughed.

"They're filled with _glitter_!" Shreya squeaked, popping one above her head. Silver glitter fell onto her hair, making her shine in the lights overhead.

"Ouch! One got into my eye!" Beckett hollered.

The bubbles blew over the rest of the party, making the other students cheer as they popped them and made glitter rain down over several groups. When the potion wore off, many of them stared at me, I guess expecting me to make more, but I was drained again.

"Okay, I'm convinced," the girl was beaming. "You've gotta be acing Potions if you can brew a daydream potion that strong."

I smirked. "I told you," I gloated. "I guess a sip doesn't last long, though," I looked down at my empty vial, bummed that I couldn't do more.

"Right. And we're back to square one," the girl rolled her eyes again. "Well, try not to get in anyone's way for the rest of the night." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and strutted away.

Her friend stayed behind. "Sorry about her. She can be a little intense about… well, everything."

"That's an understatement," I watched as the girl seemed to start another argument with a new group.

"I know a Sun spell that could help you out with your magic," the friend smiled kindly. "It lets you temporarily turbo charge your magical core and cast a solar flare. It's an upper division spell, but being a Sun-Att, I'm sure you could get the hang of it easily."

"Would such a power boost help in a battle against, say, a monster made of shadows and evil?" Beckett asked. "You know, hypothetically."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Uh, if you think that's an issue you're going to be dealing with, yeah, I'm sure it'd be useful for that."

Griff patted me on the back. "Hey, that sounds like just what you need, Skyler. Meanwhile, that snack table sounds like a great idea for me."

"Ditto. Good luck with the magic boosting, Sky. Tell me about it later," Zeph ran off with Griffin to the snack table.

"While I would rarely pass up an opportunity to learn a spell, the flora in this neck of the woods is absolutely exquisite," Beckett whispered to me. "If you'll excuse me," he said, straightening his blazer and walking off purposefully towards a darker area with no-one in it.

I glanced over a Shreya. "Are you leaving, too?"

She beamed. "You _know_ I'm checking out the party. Catch up with me when you're done." With that, she skipped off into the fray.

"Let's do this," I rubbed my hands together when I turned back to the upperclassman.

She grinned. "Awesome! Alright, so you know how we're constantly unconsciously letting some of our magical energy out into the world?" I stared blankly at her, but nodded. _I do now…_ "Well, this spell pulls that energy back into you, making you more powerful."

"Cool. So, how do I manage that?" I asked.

"First, you need to focus on the energy you're losing," she instructed. "You need to be aware of it before you can keep it in. Try reaching for your magic like you're about to cast something, but don't." I nodded, closed my eyes, and tried to focus on my magic as I normally would, but it was incredibly difficult and taxing. While focusing on the thick, sinking feeling that was my current power, I noticed some outliers, like the outer dust ring of a planet. "Do you feel it?" she asked. "You just have to suck it back inside you. Imagine you're swimming and you need to take a really deep breath before you dive under."

I could feel my magic swirl around me like a whirlpool. I took a deep breath, pulling it in, and felt a huge energy surge. When I opened my eyes, a small flash of light faded around me. "Woah…"

"Yeah!" she cheered. "Just like that! You did it!"

"I feel super-charged!" I shook my head, trying to come to terms with the new rush.

"Now you can create a solar flare, if you wanna let your power back out," she said.

I could feel a spark between my fingers. I took a deep breath, focusing on that spark. When I opened my eyes again, a small golden bird flew out of my hand, soaring above our heads. A few of the party-goers saw it and cheered as it flew back down and landed on my shoulder before fizzling out.

"Wow… that was cool!" the girl stared at me, slack-jawed.

I let out a quick laugh. "You weren't kidding. That makes casting way easier." I felt better than I had in days.

She smiled. "It was fun hanging with you, freshie, but now, if you don't mind, I see some potions with my name on them." I waved at her as she left, grateful that I wasn't feeling like death anymore.

With my renewed energy, I made my way around the party, spotting where everyone had gotten off to. I saw Beckett hanging around a tree, examining it like it held the answers to all the questions in the universe. I was able to sneak all the way up to him without him noticing me at all.

"Hi, there," I beamed, putting my hands on his back so he wouldn't run me over if he flinched, which he did.

Once he realised that it was me, he gave me a wide, excited grin. "Oh, good, it's you. I thought you might be another upperclassman coming to ask me for more of your daydream potion."

"I see you've found some of that exquisite flora you were talking about," looked around him at the tree, not seeing much that caught my eye. I was a nerd, too, but more of a comic nerd than the sciencey type.

He nodded. "Come take a closer look. This is a truly rare find," he pointed to the black moss covering parts of the trunk.

"Moss?" I asked.

"Midnight moss," he mused. "It isn't a hardy moss at all, so it rarely grows this expansively. I wonder if the solstice's energy is to thank for the quantity of moss on these trees." He pulled out a notebook and scribbled some things down before adding a sample of the moss to the page, closing it and putting it back in his inner jacket pocket.

I smirked, watching him in his element. "What does it do?"

"It can be ground into a salve to help heal minor cuts and scrapes, and is especially effective in dulling the pain from a bitten tongue!" he raved.

"I assume it stains your mouth pitch black after?"

He nodded. "Your entire mouth, teeth included, for up to three days. Not that I've tried it or anything," he added the last part quickly. I giggled. He blushed and took a deep breath. "Apologies, I'm getting a bit carried away. I've always been fascinated by the varieties of flora."

I shook my head. "Don't apologise. I think it's cute. Not many people would ditch a party to study plants."

"I don't need a reminder of how utterly 'uncool' I am," he huffed.

"I didn't say it was uncool," I teased. "I think it's attractive."

"Is it?" he bit his cheek. "How so?"

I took a step towards him and stared up into his eyes. "Well, you do this thing every time you get excited. It's called smiling. If plants make you smile, I'm more than happy to watch you fawn over moss all night."

"I don't follow," he stared down at me.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm saying you're smile is cute. I'm trying to flirt with you, Beckett."

He grinned smugly. "I'm well aware. Though, your technique could use some fine tuning."

I bit my lip. "Maybe you could give me some pointers, since you're so good at _everything_," I traced his lapel with my fingers.

He gasped suddenly, staring passed me at something. "Oh! I had no idea there was a pond nearby. There's bound to be an abundance of flora around its banks." He pulled away from me to run off farther into the woods. I pouted as I watched him go, letting out a disappointed sigh. "Would you like to join me, Sky?" he asked, using my nickname for the first time. "I'd love to share my findings with you."

_Please, for the love of god, be an innuendo_. I knew it wasn't, but a boy could hope. "I'd love to," I smiled at his bashful grin. As I followed behind him, he bounded through the trees like an excited kid seeing Wanka's Chocolate Factory. By the time I caught up to him, he was already musing over something growing up near the edge of the pond. "Already found something? Whatcha got?"

He glanced over his shoulder at me, a huge grin on his face, but he suddenly held up a hand and rushed over to me. "Stop! Don't even _think_ about taking another step!"

I followed his gaze to a flower just under where I was about to place my foot. I took a step back as he took a knee to inspect it. I giggled. "It looks like you're proposing to me right now."

He scooped up the flower, standing to show it to me. "Apologies for my brusqueness, but I wanted to ensure that you didn't step on this," he held out the blue flower in his hand. The petals and stem were blue, but the stamen was green. It appeared to glow in the moonlight above us, streaking the petals with silver. I ran my fingers lightly over the petals. They were soft to the touch, like a sunflower.

"It's beautiful. Is it for me?" I smirked, knowing it wasn't, but wanting to see the expression on his face.

"Is it…," he was a bit slow on the uptake, but soon realised. "Don't be absurd! If I were to give you flowers, I would offer you a proper bouquet of roses, not a stray blossom found on the forest floor," he said confidently. After another moment, it dawned on him what his words actually meant. He blushed, staring down at the flower as if it was suddenly more intriguing than it had been a second ago.

"I love roses," I beamed, loving his flustered face.

When he spoke again, it was soft and shy. "If I'm being perfectly honest, this blossom is equivalent to a dozen roses. It's a cultivar rarely seen in this area, with a variety of magical properties, ranging from divination to settling an upset stomach."

"You're right. That's way better than roses." When I noticed his gaze drifting everywhere but at me, I asked, "Beckett, do you ever just stop to smell the flowers?"

He looked down at me quizzically. "Why would I do that? My hobbies do not include encouraging spring allergies."

"I mean, just enjoy it without analysing it to death," I rephrased.

"I _am_ enjoying it," his face fell, like I'd scolded him. "I believe that having a deep understanding of the world around you is the best way to fully appreciate it. You'll find that doing things my way is usually the right way."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "What I'm saying is," I turned his chin to make him look at me, "sometimes being too involved in the details can make you miss what's right in front of you." He blushed as my fingers grazed his skin. I pulled my hand back. "Let's have a little wager, hmm? I bet that by the end of the night, you'll admit I'm right about something."

He bit his cheek. "Very well. Challenge accepted. I do expect to win, of course."

"I'm sure you do," I bit my lip and took a step closer to him, putting us so close that I could feel his body heat. "You only think you'll win because you aren't used to people challenging you," I whispered.

He lifted his chin proudly. "You may be right about that, but you should know, I never back down when I am challenged."

I took a step back with a giggle. "I win," I beamed.

Realisation suddenly dawned on him. "I-," he stammered. "I cannot believe you just did that. As much as I hate to admit it, you have won your bet."

I smirked. "Fantastic. What's my prize?"

"Er, I believe the terms were not set in that regard," his words were a bit shaky. "As a show of good sportsmanship, I'll allow you to make that call."

"Can it be _anything_?" I asked, definitely plotting something.

He looked around nervously. "Within reason, of course."

"Of course," I bit my lip, closing the distance again. "Well then, I want just a small thing."

"And that would be?" he asked, blushing as he stared down into my eyes.

"Kiss me," I said simply.

A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. "I must say, you don't drive a hard bargain." His hand cupped my jawline. He looked so calm all of a sudden. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine gently before straightening up.

"That's it?" I asked, holding his wrist to keep his hand near my face.

"Certainly not," he said, leaning back down. "Underestimate me at your own peril. I'm nothing if not an overachiever," he grinned.

I hummed. "I _do_ have a bad habit of putting myself in peril." He pressed his lips to mine again, this time lingering for quite a while before pulling back again with a smug grin. I pulled down on the back of his neck. "I didn't tell you to stop. This is _my_ prize, remember?" I whispered, desperately wanting to go _much_ farther than this.

His thumb brushed against my cheek. "Indeed, it is." Frustrated, I stood on my toes, pushing myself into him and wrapping an arm around his neck. I licked at his lip until our kiss deepened. His breath was warm and smelled of mint. I snaked my other arm under his and around his back, holding myself firmly against his body. When we took a breath, he said with a raspy voice, "If every loss was like this, I might take a liking to losing."

"Am I literally that life-changing?" I smirked, sliding my hand down from around his neck to play with the collar of his shirt. I pressed a few stray kisses against his collarbone, trailing up to his jaw. "Or am I just so irresistible that you'd throw away your pride for me?"

His hands met my waist and pushed me back against the nearest tree. He tilted my chin up and kissed me hungrily. I moaned into him, caressing his neck again. My free hand trailed down his chest, wishing he wasn't wearing a shirt. I could feel his lips curl into a smirk. "Yes, and yes." He dove down to my neck, leaving sloppy kisses up to my ear. I bit my lip and slid my ankle around the back of his, pulling his foot closer to pin me to the tree better. When his lips met mine again, I bit his lower lip, my eyes opening just enough to meet his as my hands slipped between his blazer and his blouse.

My feet searched around until they found a root wide enough for me to stand on. I smirked as I rose the extra three inches, finally at eye level with this gentle giant. "Beckett," I whispered, nipping at his earlobe. He shivered, but didn't stop kissing any bit of skin he could get to. I wrapped my arms around his neck and threaded my hands through his hair.

We continued like that for a while longer, but the kisses eventually grew lazy as I got the hint that it was as far as we were going that night. They were still sweet and hot, but just slower and less desperate. Beckett's hands were both on my waist and mine caressed his neck and chest gently.

I laughed as each kiss took longer to pull away from. "We should do this more often," I smiled, Beckett still kissing the side of my mouth as I spoke.

"I hardly think it likely that you'll win a bet against me again," he said, moving down to my chin.

"Wanna bet?" I snickered. We kissed a bit more before I said anything else. "I have a feeling you'll be ditching your whole 'I have to win' complex anyway."

He kissed my lips once more. "Once again, I have to admit that you're right about that." I wanted to keep going. I wanted to jump his bones, but the roar of the party reminded us of our situation, making us pull apart slowly. "Should we return to see what the commotion is about?"

I looked passed him, seeing lights bursting in the distance. When I looked back at him, his cute expression and that damn jawline frustrated me because I knew I couldn't have them anymore tonight. I bit and sucked at his lip one more time, my eyes cracked open to let him know how I was feeling about the whole thing. When I finally pulled away, I sighed. "I suppose so." Disheartened, I stepped off of the root that gave me might height advantage and tried to duck out from his arms. He pulled me back, kissing me gently one last time before letting me go. I whined. "I don't want to stop either." My hand dragged down his arm to meet his and we walked hand in hand back to the party.

Somewhere in the crowd, we got separated. I was going to search for him, but my stomach told me I had other priorities. The energy I'd saved pulling my magic back was pretty much burned out with our intense make-out session. I found a snack bar and grabbed a few things to shovel into my face while I walked around trying to find people. For someone unusually tall, it was nearly impossible to find Beckett. I did manage to find Zeph over by some trees with a huge smile on his face.

"You look like you're having a good time. What've you been getting' up to?" I asked.

"Nothing much. Just made the rounds, showed off my dance moves, won an arm-wrestling tournament…," he trailed off, looking proud.

I grinned. "No way. Really? I mean, I know you like sports, but…"

"I'll have you know that I'm perfectly capable of winning a contest of strength. _Especially_ when my opponent is totally and completely distracted by his crush cheering him on," he smirked.

I laughed. "That definitely helps. Was there a prize?"

He shook his head. "Glory, fame, a sore arm. I figured the last one was a sign it was time to take a break." He dug around in his pocket until he pulled out a serviette with a crushed lump of fangleberry scone. "Smuggled this out of the dining hall. Want some?"

"You're my hero, Zephyr Hernandez," I clapped my hands together and bowed to him.

He split it in two, handing me one half, and hopped up onto a low section of stone wall. "Next time it's your turn to smuggle me food. I want a three-course steak dinner and one of those tiny pudding cups."

I laughed. "I'll put it on my to-do list. Figure out the deal with my reflection, survive my classes, and orchestrate a massive snack heist for Zeph. No sweat," I joked.

"Sneaking in some sugar with the giant bookworm," he added.

I blushed. "Who all noticed?"

"Nobody but me as far as I know," he smiled slyly. "You've got red marks all over your neck and your lips are swollen," he pointed out. I self-consciously readjusted my collar, trying to hide them. "Speaking of feeling good, are you feeling better? I know your magic was giving you issues earlier," he took a bite out of his clump of scone.

I swallowed a bite of mine and nodded. "Honestly, I'm feeling alright. That spell earlier gave me a serious boost, and this is _so_ good," I took another bite. "As long as I don't use any magic, I'm fine, and with your company, there's no way I could feel down."

"You flatter me, Sky," he beamed. "I know all you really care about is the scone."

I groaned jokingly. "You know me too well."

"You know what they say. Friendship is fickle, food is forever," he almost made himself laugh. A loud cheer started behind us, making us both turn on the wall. "Sweet, another show! Let's get a closer look, Sky." He jumped down and ran into the masses. I tried to follow him, but it was difficult to navigate through the people. Once again, I'd been separated in the crowd.

"Get your magic in on this, everyone!" our captain shouted. "The night's at its peak, and we're gonna set the sky on _fire_!" As if the mass couldn't get any bigger, it did. I decided to hang back, since there was no way I'd find Zeph or Beckett now.

The fireworks exploded, changing the colour of the sky every time. With all the commotion, I started getting anxious. I swore I saw a shadow creature, but when I blinked, it was gone. When I went to investigate, to make sure I was just seeing things, I found a path that stretched deeper into the woods. The party was so loud, I needed a break. I walked down the path, finally relaxing again with the quiet taking over the roaring of the crowd, the night breeze grazing my skin. I heard rustling to the side of the path and jumped.

"Hello? Anybody there?" I asked, but there was no response. It was dead quiet.

"Hello? Anybody there?" echoed back at me, but way too late and complete to be an actual echo.

"That's not creepy at all," I mumbled to myself.

"… creepy at all…"

A bush next to me shook violently and a dark figure jumped out onto the path.

"Skyler! Thank goodness I found you!" Aster bent over to catch her breath, looking panicked.

I held my other hand to my chest, swearing I was going to have a heart attack. "Aster! You scared the shit out of me!"

"I'm sorry, Skyler, I just… needed-," her eyes went dark and her breath became heavier. "Not creatures… Skyler… I must… They need you to see," she grabbed my wrist, instantly transporting me to wherever her mind was. Flashes of images ran through my mind. The rock I'd found in the shadow creature, Professor Kontos in the greenhouse… When she let go of my arm, I took a step back, holding my hand to my head.

"Aster, did you just take me _into_ your branching?" I asked when she came around.

"I could think of no better way. I believe the trees want you to take that strange stone to Professor Kontos," she explained. "I can tell it's extremely important. I urge you to see him as soon as you can!"

* * *

**Fun Fact**: If you ever want to know what Skyler is thinking when he's with Beckett during 94% of their interactions, just listen to Rihanna, Trey Songz, or SoMo.

His inner thoughts are usually in song form.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Full of Surprises

When the sun finally came up, the morning was covered in fog. They sky was painted purple and orange, but was dull and uninspiring because of the vapour. With the warning that Aster had given me just hours before, it felt ominous. I had that rock in my bag weighing me down as I walked through the campus to get to the greenhouse. I knew Kontos would be there because of his office hours, but it was still only about six in the morning. As expected, the door to the greenhouse was locked. I walked around to the window closest to his desk that wasn't covered by vines or thick leafy plants and tried to get his attention. I knocked on the glass.

"Professor, I need to speak with you," I said, sure it was muffled on the other side. "It's important."

I heard some shuffling and saw him walk towards the door. I headed back around right as the door swung open. "Skyler, I wasn't expecting to see you this morning, and so early," he held the door open for me. "Is something the matter? I've never seen you so riled up." I assumed he could sense how anxious I was.

"Yes, I'm sorry to bug you," I apologised, "but I really need your help with something."

He led me over to his desk and pulled up a chair for me. "Of course, Skyler. Come sit down and we'll see what we can do."

I pulled my bag off my shoulder and reached in for the rock, but when my fingers grazed it, it was shockingly cold. "Holy-," I pulled my hand back and shook it instinctively.

"My goodness! What in the world is the matter, Skyler?" Kontos sat in front of me in his chair and watched me dig through my bag again.

"Ast- I mean, someone… someone told me I had to bring this to you," I said, using my hoodie sleeve to cover my hand as I picked up the rock and set it on his desk quickly, trying not to freeze my fingers.

He leaned over it and fidgeted with his glasses. "Curious…," he muttered lowly, but in under a second, his jaw dropped and he jumped back, knocking his chair over and some of the papers off of his desk. He fumbled for his pan flute, not taking his eyes off of the red rock. He played a note I can only describe as a dog whistle, then yelled, "Shatter!" A bolt of electricity shot down from the light above his desk and struck the rock, but it bounced off and hit the wall.

"What're you doing?!" I asked, jumping up and ducking when the bolt went over my head.

He turned to me, eyes wide and hackles raised. "Where did you get that? Is this supposed to be some kind of threat?!" he shouted at me.

"How is a rock threatening?!" I shouted back. "The worst I could do is throw it at you!" I panicked, confused and a bit scared of him. I'd never seen Kontos so angry. It really was terrifying.

"It could do far worse!" he said, then looked me up and down, his heavy brow furrowing. "Don't you understand what that is?"

"No! That's why I brought it here!" I looked him straight in the eyes. "I got attacked by some kind of… shadow thing… and when it died, it left that rock behind!"

"A shadow? What are you talking about?" he asked, still standing defensively, but he lowered his flute and his voice was a bit softer.

"Please, Professor, I'm just here looking for answers. I didn't mean for it to frighten you," I tried to say calmly, but the room was still full of stressed energy, making the air sickeningly still.

He stood up straight and looked sideways at me, trying to read me. "What you've brought me is an object of incredible evil, and there's no reason you should have it. Why exactly should I trust you?"

"Um… because I'm your student? The same Skyler Dietz you've been teaching all semester," I tried, but it didn't seem to work. "You know me, Professor. I'm a good student and I work hard. I promise you that I only came here to learn more about this rock."

His shoulders fell as he let out a long breath. He took a few steps towards me, but his eyes looked around the room as if he was waiting for some booby-trap to go off. His hoof thumped nervously when he stood in front of me. "I'm sorry, Skyler. You just caught me off guard. I've never seen one of these in the flesh before, only in textbooks. It just startled me, that's all." He cleared his throat and set his pan flute on the desk, within arm's reach. "Now, what is this about a shadow attacking you? Nothing should be able to get through the wards. Have you reported it to administration? More importantly, are you alright?"

I didn't quite know where to start with the bombardment of questions. "I'm fine, Professor. I just want to know what this rock is."

He shook his head. "It is not important. A trifle really. An essence is nothing a student like you needs to worry about."

"So it's called an essence," I bit at the new information, catching him off guard a bit. "Do you know what it's used for?"

"Skyler, this matter is not up for discussion," he said sternly. "Trust me, learning more could be dangerous."

"Dangerous?" I asked. "There are evil shadow creatures after me and you think _learning_ is dangerous?" I retorted, all civilities out the window. "By keeping me in the dark, you're just putting me at risk. How am I supposed to defend myself if I don't know what I'm being attacked by?" I took a deep breath, calming myself. "Look, Professor. These things are after _me, _not anybody else, and they aren't slowing down. I just want to know _why_." I gave him a pleading look.

He looked baffled at first, but it gave way to a guilty expression, his thick eyebrows lowering in thought. "Skyler, I understand that you're struggling, but I'm afraid I've told you all that I can."

I raised my hands to my lips, steepled and tense. "But you've barely told me anything!" I argued, pointing at him with my interlocked fingers.

"And that is the way it should be," he stared down at me. "If you understood your situation, you'd be afraid, not looking for answers."

I threw my arms out with a scoff before letting them fall to my sides, feeling defeated. "You're right. I don't understand a single thing here. I'm in way over my head… but, Professor… I'm already afraid. My familiar and I could have been seriously hurt last time one of those things showed up. What if a bigger one shows up next time and I _can't_ beat it?"

He frowned at me and heaved a heavy sigh. "I can't imagine what you're going through, Skyler. It must be terribly frightening… but that's precisely why you need to leave it to me. I will ensure the situation is handled."

I shook my head. "I don't understand why you can't just tell me about this… _essence_ thing. Is knowing about it going to put me in more danger than my ignorance?"

He pressed his lips together in thought. He opened his mouth briefly, but shut it again, shaking his head. "It's far safer to just leave it be and let us professors worry about it."

I sucked my teeth. "I don't think that'll help. I've already tried talking to other people about this and _they've_ tried to get these attacks to stop, but nothing they've done has helped. It's still happening."

"I-," he started, but looked away nervously, chewing his lip. He sighed again and turned to face me, crossing his arms. "Whether you believe me or not, Skyler, I am doing this for your own good."

I fell back onto the chair and rested my head on my interlocked hands, trying to settle my anxiety. So much was happening. I just wanted it to stop. I just wanted to go to class and worry about homework and my social life and what shoes to wear like every other student. I hated having to watch my back every second of every day so I could be ready _when_, not _if_, something attacked me again. I looked up at him, my hands folded in between my knees. "Professor, are you _sure_ there's nothing else you can tell me about the essence? If you really won't tell me, I'll leave, but I _beg _you. Help me."

He looked at me, pursing his lips as if he'd been debating with himself. He sat back down in his chair and let out a deep breath. "Alright, Skyler. It's not normally a subject I'd discuss, but considering the circumstances, I'll tell you a bit about it," he said. I looked up at him, relieved to finally be getting some real answers. "An essence is what gives us life. Think of it like a soul."

"So this used to be someone… or _something_'s soul?" I asked, sitting up attentively.

"At one time, yes," he looked sorrowful, like the subject disturbed him deep in his core. "Normally when a creature dies, its essence would disappear, but this one has been corrupted by an outside force."

"What could even do that?" I furrowed my brow, thinking that it would take massive amounts of magic to alter a soul.

He stared down at the rock, the same pained expression on his face. "Only very dark magic."

My eyes darted between him and the rock. "How does this link up with the shadow creatures?"

"I don't know, Skyler. In all my studies, I have never heard of creatures like the ones you described," his gaze met mine again.

"I wonder what it was used for then," I pondered. "Obtaining them sounds pretty difficult. Maybe… someone _made_ it?" I asked, knowing that it was a ridiculous idea, but who really knew at that point?

"Not possible," he said quickly. "An essence cannot be created. No magic is that powerful." He stood up, gesturing for me to do the same. "Now, I think it is best if you get going. I'll be holding onto the essence, so I can do some more research on it."

"But-"

"I can't allow you to walk around with such a dangerous object," he shook his head. "The less you have to do with it, the safer you'll be." He picked it up off his desk and set it in one of his desk drawers, his hands shaking all the while. He put his hand on my shoulder and pushed me toward the door. "I don't know what you've gotten involved in, Skyler, but you must stay out of it. This is a matter for the professors to handle," he repeated. "You are meddling with evil beyond your powers. For Blood magic to be used in such a way…"

"I knew it!" I said upon hearing the words. "Blood magic _is_ behind this!"

"Er-!" his eyes went wide, but quickly shot me an angry look. "Forget I said anything on the matter!" he snapped. "Mind _these_ words, Skyler. For your own safety, do not investigate any further!" With that as his last word, he pushed me out of the greenhouse, handed me my bag, and closed the door.

"Damn it," I hissed, snapping angrily. I'd really hoped to get some more answers, but at least I knew what it was and what magic was involved. That was at least _something_. I sulked back up to the dorm to get my books for the day and tell Shreya what had happened.

Today was the day of my first Thief game, so I tossed my uniform into my bag for later. I was about to head out to get some breakfast when a loud knock echoed through my door. _That can't be Shreya… She never knocks…_ I opened the door, peaking through the crack, but what I saw made me forget all of my worry in an instant.

"Good morning, Sky. I hope I didn't wake you," Beckett greeted. He was _shirtless_. _Shirtless_ and holding two rolled up yoga mats. He looked me over quickly then asked nervously, "Were you headed out? I can go-"

I shook my head viciously, suddenly energised. "No, no, it's fine. Good morning, Beckett. What are you doing here… shirtless… so early in the morning?" I bit the inside of my lower lip, trying to control my breathing. _Please be what I think this is._

"I was about to begin my morning yoga when I remembered that the first Thief game of the season is today," he said. "With everything going on, I thought you might be a bit tense before the match, and I figured I could help you unwind."

I put my forefinger to my lips and smiled for the first time since the party. "Wait, you're asking me to do yoga with you?"

"I know that may seem odd, but I promise you I'm being sincere," he looked like he was going to smile, but he was so nervous that he just lightly blushed as his mouth twitched a few times. "I always find yoga rather centering, and I was hoping you'd practice some of my favourite poses with me." _I'd like to put _you_ into some poses._

I tried not to giggle at how cute he was. "Sure, why not," I held the door open for him and put my bag down on the floor, my eyes not leaving him for a moment. He followed me in and laid the mats out in the center of my room. He sat down at the back of his and motioned for me to mimic him. "Oh, we're actually… okay," I sat, a bit disappointed. "So… what do we do first?" I asked, having never done or seen yoga in my life. I mean, I'd seen it on TV or passing by the park, but I always thought it was silly and never paid much attention... unless the instructor was cute, which in my current situation was undoubtedly true.

"Yoga is all about setting your mind on what you're doing and letting everything else go," he explained. "You have to become one with your body and breath." We started out by almost meditating, which, recently, made me feel a bit better. The sun shining through the window hit my face and filled me with a calmness I hadn't known in a while. "Warming up your back is crucial," he said. _Yeah, I'll bet it is. _ "… so follow along. 'Child's pose' and 'cat cow' are two of my favourite back stretches."

I couldn't hold in my snickering. "What ridiculous names! Who comes up with these?"

He started into the first pose with a wide grin on his face. "I've read up quite a bit on the history of yoga as a practice. The origins of some postures extend back to-," he rambled.

I held up my hand to stop him. "On second thought, let's just _do it_ for now and you can tell me about it later."

"Fair enough," he chuckled. I followed him into his pose and watched his movements. "Next, we're going to go into downward facing dog," he said, tucking his toes underneath his feet and planting his hands firmly on the other end of the mat. He lifted his hips, moving from a push-up position into an upside-down V. I followed him, unable to take my eyes off his… everything. When he caught me staring, he smirked knowingly. "Brilliant. Now, don't bow your back. Try to push your sternum down, and do the same with your heels. Stretch, stretch, stretch." _You cocky little shit_. I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek, staring at his shoulders as they flexed, and the muscles tensing around his spine.

I wobbled a bit purposefully. "Woops, I might need a little help over here," I said slyly.

Without hesitating for a moment, he got up to help, putting his hands on my hips from behind me, aligning them to help me balance. I could feel the blood rush to my face, but let's blame it on being upside down. With a soft touch, he straightened my back. "That should feel better. Keep your hips square, and don't bow your back because that can cause some serious damage."

"Is that so?" I asked, moving my leg enough to throw my hips off again. "What was that hip thing again?" His hands found my hips again, squaring them with a gentle touch, but this time he left them there a bit longer. "Are you staring at my ass, Beckett?" I teased, biting my lip and looking up at him from the corner of my eye. "I thought this was going to be a _proper_ yoga session."

His face flushed as he removed his hands. "Er, yes, well, er. Your hips are just- I mean your form is… You're doing just fine," he averted his eyes and went back to his mat. _That's a yes._

I pouted playfully. "I didn't say you had to stop. I like this position."

He burned red all the way down to his shoulders, but didn't say anything until it was time to switch to the next pose. Soon we were doing something close to lunges.

"Peaceful warrior is my new favourite thing," I said, feeling completely at ease. "I never thought I'd enjoy lunging so much," I admitted. "Kind of relaxing, really," I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"That's why I do it," he beamed. "I must say, I'm somewhat relieved that you agreed to practice with me. I rarely tell people that I do yoga because I know I don't seem the type." He pursed his lips a little. "Frankly, I'm used to people teasing me when I bring it up."

"Is that not what I'm doing?" I asked, smirking as I switched to the other leg. "I guess I need to try harder, then?" He blushed and looked away. My eyes traced every detail of his body. His shoulders, abs, back, and chest looked like they'd been sculpted by god himself, you know if god was _really_ into dudes. He must have been to make them this fucking _hot_. "Do you always do yoga shirtless?" I asked, biting my lip as we descended into the plank position. His nicely gelled hair fell over his eye and he tried to shake it out of his face, but it just sprung back to where it was. His thick arms bulked out as he held himself at a steady 90-degree angle. I hummed. "Not that I'm complaining."

"When the weather is warm, then yes. Yoga is about connecting with your body, and I find it distracting to have a shirt falling in my face," he answered simply. Then he smirked, glancing toward me. "I haven't noticed you having that problem, but if you did, you'd be welcome to join me."

I shook my head playfully. "If your own shirt is too distracting, seeing me shirtless might just make your cute little head explode." In truth, if I took my shirt off, I'd _have_ to jump him. We can't both be half naked in my room without things getting heavy _real_ fast.

He lowered himself to the mat, arching his back to stretch before lifting his hips into 'downward dog' again, a position I was rather familiar with in my own experiences. I bit my lip, groaning internally. My mind was playing the chorus of "Touch me" by Samantha Fox _very loudly_ on repeat. Trying to get my thoughts under control, I followed his lead. He peaked over at me. "I daresay you're a natural," he grinned.

"I have a good instructor," I smiled back. Shortly after that, we were sitting on the mats cross-legged facing each other. "I don't know why, but I kind of thought that your yoga would be more magical."

He chuckled. "Yoga is yoga, Sky. There's no magic needed. But now that you mention it, I do know a spell that makes a partner position more interesting."

"Partner position?" I asked, biting my cheek and trying not to be too obvious.

He stood and offered his hand to me. "Don't worry. I won't drop you. I'm sure you've noticed that I have the requisite muscles."

I had to take a deep breath to calm my thoughts. "I might have." I took his hand and stood, not letting go for some time as I looked up into his eyes. He had the slightest smile, barely noticeable, but enough to drive me wild. _For the love of god, please let today be the day._ "What all does this 'partner position' entail?" He pulled our mats closer together and laid down on his back in the middle of them, beckoning for me to come to him. _This is it._ I bit my lip. "Where do you want me?"

He had me stand between his knees as he reached for my hands. With our fingers interlocked, he said, "When I pull you, come with me." I nodded, not really knowing what to say to any of this. He put his feet on either side of my hips then pulled me down to him, extending his knees to push my legs up. "Keep your knees and elbows straight." I felt like I was flying. His hands were strong around mine and he didn't falter at all. "Fantastic!" he beamed up at me. "You're lighter than I thought you were."

I puffed my cheeks out. "Not sure how to take that."

"I meant it as a compliment," he chuckled, his eyes sparkling. "I'm going to add the spell. Remember to say relaxed." I took a deep breath and nodded. He let out a long, but steady breath and we began to float off the ground, hovering nearly three feet in the air. I felt uneasy at first, but when I saw how happy he was, it all went away. I felt completely safe.

_Time to fall._ I bent my elbows, planning an 'accidental' fall, but controlling it as I neared his face, my weight shifting enough to make me slide forward. I let my hand 'slip' from his and fall to his chest to support my weight. His arms wrapped around me instinctively, holding me tight as we descended back to the ground. "Sky, are you alright?" he asked, looking down at me as he lowered his feet from my thighs.

I noticed his hand had slid under the edge of my shirt, holding the midpoint on my back firmly. Once my legs were back underneath me, I shifted so they were on either side of his hips. _He seems into it. I'm gonna go for it. _"I'm just fine," I smirked, pushing myself up to look down at him, hands on his chest. When he blushed, a gust of wind ran through the room, knocking a book off of the shelf on the wall above my bed and rustling our hair. "Nice landing, but I think you lost control of your magic there," I teased, not letting my eyes stray from his.

"Er, yes, well… I must have been… distracted." His breathing was erratic, and his heart hammered in his chest. _Score one for Sky._

I sat up straight, my fingers tracing down his torso as I leaned back against his knees. "This might be my favourite position," I smirked slyly.

"It is rather enjoyable," he said breathlessly, a slight hitch in his voice. _Perfect._ I bit my lip and leaned over him, my elbows on either side of his neck as my fingers played with the ends of his unusually messy hair. I could feel his breath between us. When I tried to close the distance for a kiss, his eyes suddenly shot wide open and he turned his face away from me. _You can't be serious…_ He cleared his throat. "We should… er…" I sat back up with a disappointed huff loud enough for him to hear. I climbed off of him and helped him to his feet. _Damnit! I was so fucking close!_ Without a word, he began rolling the mats, avoiding my eyes all the while. All the colour I'd worked so hard to get to his cheeks faded faster than I was comfortable with. I felt like I'd done something wrong and the pinch in my chest sucked. "I'll let you prepare for your Thief game now. I wouldn't want you to be late," he said, pulling the mats under his arm and heading for the door.

"Uh, yeah, okay," I pursed my lips, feeling dejected.

He opened the door, but paused before leaving. "Thank you for joining me this morning, Skyler," he said softly without turning around. Before I could reply, he left, closing the door behind him. It bugged me that he'd gone back to using my full name.

"Yeah," I muttered to myself, alone in my room. _The hell was that?! I didn't do anything _wrong._ We made out for like an hour last night and _now_ he wants to pull away from me?!_ I raged for a few more minutes while I tried to make myself look presentable again. When I felt as ready as I was going to, I grabbed my bag off the floor and headed to the dining hall.

After eating as much as I could for breakfast, I headed up to the stadium. On the way there, I met up with Shreya, Zeph, Beckett, and Griffin near the courtyard. Avoiding Beckett's eyes, I told them about that morning and the little bit of information I'd gotten from Kontos.

"Using Blood magic and an essence to create life… Incredible," Beckett gasped. "I didn't even know that was possible."

"I bet he's hiding something!" Shreya crossed her arms and leaned on her hip. "This seems like just the kind of thing the admin doesn't want students learning about."

"He's just trying to keep Skyler safe, Shreya," Griffin retorted. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"Maybe we should listen to him, Sky," Zeph looked at me wearily. "He's a professor. He can handle this way better than we can."

I sighed. "I know Kontos means well, but these shadow creatures are dangerous. I can't just sit idly by when they could try to kill me again at any moment. I have to protect myself," I reasoned. "If I act like everything's alright and I just try to focus on school, they could catch me off guard. At least if I investigate, I'll learn more about them so I can defend myself."

Griffin nodded. "You're right. We need to do whatever we can to ensure you don't get hurt."

I frowned and looked towards the doors of the stadium. "I just wish I knew where they were coming from. Then we would have a lead."

"Actually," Beckett chimed in, "the essence could do just that. I know a potion that reveals where an object originated from, but it requires rather specific ingredients. Baby's breath, meteorite fragment, and a basilisk scale. And the essence, of course."

I shrugged, still not looking at him. "Okay, so we pop by Penn Square after the game."

He shook his head. "You can't go to the store to purchase these ingredients. They're harder to come by," he paused and looked around, seeming a bit agitated. "Perhaps we could find a baby and bottle their breath…"

I snorted. "That's ridiculous. Baby's breath is a flower." All four of them stared at me in confusion. "It's actual _baby's_ _breath_? Jeez, I am never going to get used to this place…," I shook my head in disbelief.

"Beckett, would Kontos have these ingredients?" Shreya asked.

"Probably," he replied. "In his private stock, at least, but that's not available to students." Shreya and I shared a look. "No… No, no, _no_. You've got to be joking! We are not stealing from a professor! Absolutely not!" he whispered harshly, knowing what we were thinking.

"The essence is in his bottom right desk drawer," I told her, one hundred percent on board with this plan.

"This is why I like you so much," she grinned devilishly.

"If that's the plan then you're going to have to miss the game," Griffin said. "It's the only guarantee you have that Kontos will be out of his office, since he's the ref today."

"Then you can count me out!" Zeph waved his hand in front of him. "There's no way I'm going to miss watching the first game of the season just to get some potion ingredients."

Shreya scoffed. "Typical. Well then, looks like it's just you and me, Sky."

"Dream team," I grinned, high fiving her.

"Are you seriously going to skip the game?" Zeph looked at me like I was crazy. "When you're on the varsity team?"

"It's not like I really _want_ to miss it," I sighed. "I _was_ looking forward to playing my first official match…"

"Exactly! The first game is all about team bonding and the crowd falling in love with you," he said. "How can you give that up?"

I shrugged. "If there was a better time, I'd take it, but this seems like our best shot."

"He's right," Griffin agreed. "There won't be another opportunity like this for weeks. It's now or never."

"I'm sorry, Zeph, but this is more important than the game," I said. I knew it hurt his feelings, but it was true.

He looked defeated. "I know… You're right… I guess I'll just have to save my special Skyler cheer for later."

I nudged his shoulder with mine apologetically then addressed the rest of the group. "Alright, Beckett," I finally made eye contact with him, glowering just enough to show that I was upset with him. "Tell me a bit more about the ingredients, so I know what to look for"

"Skyler, I-," he started, but looked away and bit his tongue. He took a breath then got down to business. "Well, baby's breath is self-explanatory. Meteorite fragment will be a shining silver rock, and the basilisk scale should be labelled, since it has toxic properties depending on how you use it."

I took note of his words in my head. "Got it. Then, Shreya, I'll meet you outside the arena just after the game starts."

She smiled. "Thank goodness I won't have to sit through the whole game. It's _sooo_ hard to watch." We all looked at her like she was nuts. "Er, I meant… because the seats are just very, _very_ uncomfortable!" she smiled cheekily, and we all rolled our eyes.

Zeph grabbed her arm and started dragging her to the stadium. "Well, you can put up with the seats for a little while, 'cause I don't want to miss the pregame festivities!" She looked back at me and mouthed "help me," but I just laughed at her. Beckett followed them in, staring back at me over his shoulder for a brief second before leaving me and Griffin outside. We walked through a different door to get to the field.

"Griff, I'm sorry that I have to miss the game. It's just, I don't know when we'll get another chance at-," I started apologising, really not wanting to miss the game.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "Getting those ingredients is important. Besides, I can handle the game. Heck, if I had to, I could probably take on the whole other team by myself!" he puffed out his chest and gave me a wide grin.

I bit my cheek. "Are you sure you're going to be alright?"

"Of course! I've played plenty of Thief games without a friend. This one will be no different," he said. I frowned, feeling bad for him. Griffin eyed the other team and deflated a little. "I _was_ looking forward to playing with you, though."

"Maybe I can make it back in time?" I tried.

"Actually," he said, "it's a bit of a long shot, but if you can get in and out fast enough, you could be back in time to play in the second half." I felt a renewed sense of joy. "You just have to check in with Coach before the whistle blows. That should be at 2:30."

"What if I don't make it?" I asked, feeling a bit rushed.

"Then you won't be able to play," he said bluntly. "The coach has to submit a roster of who's playing in the second half before it starts."

I nodded. "I'll keep an eye on the clock then." We headed over to Captain from the team's tunnel and I tried to look nauseous.

"Diez! I see you're suited up and ready to go. What's up?" he was beaming, excited to finally show me off to the other schools.

"_Dietz_," I hissed under my breath. "Hey, Captain, I'm actually not feeling too well. I don't think I can play right now," I held my stomach and tried to look sickly.

He sighed and frowned. "Well, that sucks, but we don't need you getting sicker, or making the team sick, so just rest up, I guess," he said. "If you somehow manage to feel better before the second half, let me know and we'll get you in the game. We could definitely use you out there."

I nodded. "I'll go see the nurse or lie down for a bit."

When the rest of the team headed for the field, I snuck out to find Shreya. We hurried down the steps to the greenhouse on the other side of campus, but she had some questions along the way.

"What's up with you and Mr. Bookish?" she asked as we crossed the field towards the lake.

"Um," I bit my cheek. "At the party, we kind of hooked up-"

"Oh my god, _finally_," she squealed.

I chuckled. "What do you mean 'finally'? I thought you didn't approve?"

"That was weeks ago," she argued. "I want details. Not all of them, obviously, but what happened?"

I sighed. "We just made out for a while, but it was something special." I wanted to be more enthusiastic about it, but after what had happened that morning, I didn't know how to process it anymore. "This morning he showed up at my door."

Her eyes locked with mine as we walked, a sly smile across her face. "Did you two…?"

I shook my head. "No, as much as I tried. It's like… sometimes the signals I put out hit and other times they go right over his head. I _thought_ we were on the same wavelength, but he pulled away from me and just… _left_," I hissed the last word.

We hid in the bushes outside of the greenhouse, looking for wandering eyes. Kontos exited, whistling to himself, and closed the door before heading up to the stadium. "What do you mean, he 'left'?"

"C'mon. Let's go," I whispered. We launched out of the bushes as quietly and quickly as possible and ducked inside the classroom through an open window. The greenhouse was empty, but Kontos had so much stuff and I wasn't sure where to start looking. "I mean, I was _so close_ to jumping his bones and he got up and _left_. No explanation," I huffed, frustrated. "Bobby Drake," I whispered. He appeared suddenly with a little yip. I held my finger to my lips. "Shh, quiet, boy. Do you think you could help us find some ingredients?" He spun in a quick circle then ran over to Shreya to help her look. "I'll grab the essence," I whispered to her, heading for the desk.

"That's ridiculous," she sympathised as she looked around the walls. "Do you think something happened, you know, to dissuade him?" She pursed her lips. "Where even is this cabinet?"

"I didn't do anything wrong," I answered, sliding the drawer open. "You don't think Kontos made his ingredient stores invisible, do you?" I groaned, not finding anything.

"Only one way to find out," she shrugged and started feeling around the air. "And I'm not saying you did, hun. I'm just wondering if maybe something happened with _him_ that he just didn't tell you about."

I pulled the rock out, not getting a single feeling from it this time, and shoved it into my bag quickly. "How would I know if he hasn't told me?"

"Have you asked?" she rebutted. Bobby poked his nose into some plants and sniffed around the floor. He made a sort of squeaking noise then spun in a circle.

"Did you find something, Bobby?" I asked, closing the drawer and walking over to him. He stared at the wall. I pushed the thick leaves of the tall plants apart to reveal a cabinet. The handle was locked, of course. "This has to be where he keeps his personal stash," I said to Shreya. "Now, we just have to bust this lock open."

She scoffed. "Step aside. I've got this." I was just going to unlock it the way Griffin had shown me over a month ago, but she did a fancy finger twirl and the door opened itself. "We're lucky Kontos is so trusting. If he were my parents, he'd have at least a dozen enchantments guarding his stock." A noise got our attention and she spun around. "You get what you need. I'll watch the door," she said before walking over to the far wall.

I found a small jar of smoke, which looked like baby's breath to me, and placed it in my bag. One shelf had a variety of stones on them, but only one of them was silver. I snagged the rock then looked for the scale. The bottom shelf had a variety of animal parts, but only one of them was labelled. Not to mention, it was a scale about the size of my hand. I didn't know much about magical creatures yet, but I'd read enough Harry Potter to know that it was a big ass snake. "Got everything. Let's go!" I whispered urgently, closing the cabinet and ruffling the foliage in front of it to cover it once more.

"That was fast. With you two working together, you didn't even need me here," Shreya smirked.

"Yeah, but that's less fun," I said. "No offense, buddy." Bobby yipped up at me happily.

Shreya grinned. "As much as I appreciate the flattery, we should get going."

I could hear whistling coming from outside. "Shit."

"How is he back already?!" she whispered. "The game can't possibly be over yet!"

"We have to hide! Quick, Bobby Drake, back to the ether!" I looked down at him urgently and he disappeared with a brief nod. I loved that he understood me. "Shit, shit, shit, shit!" I whirled around, looking for anywhere we could hide. We ran over to the desk on the far side of the greenhouse. I was looking frantically for a spot, but Shreya was frozen. "What are you doing? Hide!"

"But look!" she whispered. "This is about the essence!" she pointed to an open book on Kontos' desk. One page had a sketch of the essence with some writing and diagrams surrounding it.

I groaned. "Fine, grab it, but we have to hide _now_," I said, looking back around.

She ripped out a hand full of pages then snapped her fingers. The next few pages crinkled and filled in with extra words. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a massive pile of vines against the back wall. It was the only thing I could think of. We barely made it before the door opened. Kontos walked over to his desk and picked up a wooden whistle. He glanced around the room, his eyebrows furrowed suspiciously. Shreya and I were crammed so close to each other that I could feel her breath on my cheek. I glanced over at her and she winked. Before I could give her a look to stop screwing around, the vines started to move along my arm. A pink flower began to sprout under her nose, making her eyes go wide. It shook some pollen and her mouth shot open. I quickly covered it, keeping her from coughing. Her eyes closed tightly and she let out a silent squeal. I looked down and noticed that a vine had wrapped around her ankle. I moved my foot slowly on top of the vine and pressed my weight down on it until it let go of her in defeat. She opened her eyes and stared at me.

"What was that?" Kontos' hooves thumped against the dirt floor as he came closer to the vines. I stayed perfectly still, not wanting to even breathe. He shook his head and went back to his desk. I watched him close the journal and tuck it under his arm before heading back to the door. He did one last sweep of the room then left. When the door closed, I let out the breath I'd been holding.

"That was way too close," I collapsed as I emerged from the vines, falling onto the floor. We'd dropped the pages while struggling to get out of the vines. I gathered them up and shoved them into my bag.

"You're telling me," she leaned on her knees, huffing and puffing as much as I was. "Let's get out of here before these vines decide we're food." She helped me up and pulled me out behind her. When we reached the edge of the lake, she tugged at my bag. "Well, what do those pages say?"

I pulled them out and started reading, "'I believe this essence was used to create a being known as a shade. They are mere echoes of their true forms. Shades are created when a powerful Attuned kills a creature and takes its essence, a substance little understood, but akin to the soul.'" I grimaced. "That's terrible!"

"This all sounds _very_ bad," she agreed.

I kept reading. "'But one essence alone is not enough to create life. Blood magic must be used to fuse two essences together first. With their essences fused together, Blood magic can then be used to give them solid form, however, the process of removal and fusion corrupts the essences, so the creatures created no longer resemble their original form.'"

"So these monsters you've been fighting have been made from other creatures?" she gasped.

"I guess that explains why they don't all look the same," my lip curled, understanding Kontos' disgust with the subject earlier in the day.

"All of this is super illegal! You can go to prison forever for doing Blood magic!" she said, her hand to her chest.

I was more concerned by a more specific detail. "Someone is doing it specifically to get at me," I said, barely able to grasp the concept. I shook my thoughts away and kept reading, clearing my throat. "'These creatures are hollow, following any orders given to them by the Attuned responsible for their creation. If Blood magic is involved here, as I suspect it is, I worry about what the Attuned intends and why they're targeting a student…,'" I flipped the page, but nothing was written on the back. "I guess that's all he's written on it so far. Still, that's more than we knew this morning. It finally feels like we're getting somewhere."

"That's a lot to take in," Shreya ran a hand through her hair.

I let out a breath, remembering our mission as I tucked the papers back into my bag. "That wasn't so bad. We got all the stuff in time for me to play in the rest of the game," I nodded triumphantly. "Griffin said I just needed to be back before 2:30."

"Uh, Sky, I hate to break it to you, but it's 2:28, and we are on the complete other side of campus," she pointed to the clocktower on the building behind me.

"I guess I'm not playing today after all," I sighed. "At least we got the ingredients."

On our way back to the stadium, she said, "You never answered my question."

I raised my brow. "Which question?"

"Have you asked Beckett why he left so brusquely?" she repeated.

I pursed my lips. "No. I've only spoken to him once since he left, and you were there for that."

"You should ask him," she urged me as we climbed the steps.

I sighed. "I will… later…"

When we were outside the doors of the stadium, she asked, "You wanna go join everyone else in the stands?"

I shook my head. "I told Cap I couldn't play, so it's best not to make an obvious liar of myself. Besides, I'd like a break from him butchering my name for once."

She put her hand on her hip. "_Oh, no!_" she beamed. "I guess I have no choice but to be a good friend and miss the rest of the game. How _unfortunate._" I rolled my eyes with a snicker as I took a spot on the bench near the closest pillar.

A while later, the rush of fans poured out of the stadium, cheering and hollering. Once the main flood had dispersed, the rest of our friends followed.

"Did you see how Ward got those flags at the end?!" Zeph raved, jumping excitedly all over Griffin. "And Griff dodged two players at once! It was incredible!" he screamed.

"Yes, yes, it was a good game. Now, can we get going?" Beckett huffed. When he saw Shreya and I, he opened his mouth like he'd say something else, but then decided against it and looked away.

"By the sound of all that, I guess we won," I grinned.

"We did!" Zeph cheered. "It was awesome!"

"That's great!" I joined in.

"Is there a reason we're all standing around or is this potion going to get made sometime today?" Beckett's cold tone broke through our happiness. I glanced at Shreya, who made a motion for me to talk to him, but I didn't think it was a good time. We left the stadium and headed straight for the Roost.

Beckett set up a cauldron on the floor between the beanbags and we laid out the ingredients before him, watching him work.

"Yes, this looks like everything I'll need," he muttered to himself.

"Sky had the whole situation handled," Shreya praised me. "He went in there and picked out the right stuff without any help. I'm so proud."

"That's our little Sky, kicking names and taking ass," Zeph added, purposefully messing up the phrase and wiggling his eyebrows.

I bit my cheek, not wanting to burst his bubble. "Who are you, my parents?" I chuckled a bit forcefully.

"I still can't believe you actually managed to get this out of a professor's private stock without getting caught," Beckett stared up at me, but I wasn't sure if it was in awe or some strange disapproval.

"Well, I _am_ amazing," I joked. _Not amazing enough to make out with _twice_ apparently._ "We also got to peek at his journal," I added.

"Y-you're joking!" he sputtered, eyes wide.

"I'm not," my eyes lingered on his for another second before turning to the rest of the group. "I found some notes he made on the essence. Apparently, the monsters that have been attacking me are called 'shades'," I explained. "He said they're made by combining essences and giving them form with blood magic."

Beckett looked even more concerned. "Combining essences? That's insane… and highly illegal!"

I rolled my eyes and put a hand to my hip. "Beck, I don't think whoever's behind this is too worried about legality."

He looked away. "Fair point, but we should be careful. That type of magic must require an extreme amount of power."

I nodded. "All the more reason to figure out where these shades are coming from in the first place."

"Well, the potion is going to take a few hours to brew, so we should be able to get our answers later tonight," Beckett told us.

"I can't think of anything more boring than watching someone make a potion, and I'm starving, so I'm gonna go get some dinner," Zeph announced, heading for the hole in the floor.

"I heard they're serving fairy dust crème brulee for dessert tonight. I'm not missing that," Shreya gleamed, also standing to leave.

"Count me in," Griffin got up to follow them. "I need to refuel after that game."

When I turned to go with, Beckett scrambled to his feet, fixing his blazer nervously. "Skyler, wait."

"What is it? Is something wrong?" I asked, wondering if this was going to be about this morning.

He took a few short breaths, like he was prepping himself for what he was about to say. "No, I… It's been a while since my sister and I last made this potion. I was wondering if you would mind staying to help."

I turned to face him fully. "You never said your sister taught it to you."

He looked between me and the floor. "Oh, well, she did. She used to help me with a lot of spellwork and potions, since we aren't technically supposed to learn them until we reach university." He grinned at the memory. "Together, the two of us could basically do anything." He bit his cheek. "Anyway, I was thinking, it might be better to have more than one set of eyes on the potion, since it's been so long… If you'd like to help me…"

"Sky, are you coming?" Shreya's head poked up from the trap door. When she saw us talking, she gave me a look and mouthed, "Talk to him."

I nodded subtly. "Can you bring something up for us, maybe?"

"You can count on me," she beamed before disappearing again. "They're having a moment. We're going without them," I heard her say to the others.

"Don't do anything stupid while we're gone," Griffin called up to us.

"Why would we-," Beckett was going to object, but he stopped and looked away, a blush creeping to his cheeks.

"No promises," I called back after he'd descended to the hallway.

When I turned back to Beckett, he was fidgeting with his cuff. "Skyler," he started, pointedly not looking at me.

"I'm going to change back into my regular clothes before we start," I said, pulling my bag off the floor and walking over to the corner. It was a bit chilly in the attic of the old stone building in the winter, though it didn't snow on campus… probably an enchantment. I could feel his eyes on me while I changed, but every time I tried to catch him, he'd look towards the window, his ears burning pink. _Maybe it wasn't me after all…_ I pulled a baggy teal sweater over my head and adjusted it so my undershirt strap showed in the neckline. When I sat next to him, he flushed. "What do we do? Walk me through it," I said, looking over his layout.

"Hand me the basilisk scale. Then light the cauldron and keep the flame low," he instructed.

"How big do basilisks here usually get?" I asked, handing him the scale. "I only know about the one from Harry Potter and that thing was _huge_."

He rolled his eyes. "Of course you've seen those movies…"

"I read the books," I corrected him. It was nice to see him going back to his original self. There's only so much embarrassment he can take before he shuts down, apparently.

He scoffed. "A fully-grown basilisk is typically the size of a car, though the largest recorded one was nearly as big as a dragon."

"So J.K.R was right!" I gloated.

"That series is atrocious. You need to read better material," he said as he chopped the scale into small pieces.

"They're just children's books. No need to be overly critical," I snickered as I lit the cauldron, keeping the flame low enough to just lick the base. With just the small amount of heat, the potion turned from deep blue to bright orange. "So, you said your sister taught you this potion. I bet there's a story there."

"Not really. I was just interested in testing the potion's abilities," he said blandly, but I'd known him long enough now to know when he was putting up a front.

I elbowed him. "Come on. It's just me up here."

He groaned. "If you _must_ know, my parents took me to visit Katrina in France, and while walking through Paris, I found someone's Prinot."

"A what?" I asked.

"It's a journal sealed with magic so it can only be opened by one person," he explained. "This one was pretty well-worn, so I figured it was important. My imagination got the best of me. It could have been someone's memoir, notes from a secret society, or research on a new form of magic."

"You are such a nerd," I muttered.

He pursed his lips at me. "I was having… trouble… with the task and, finally, asked my sister to help me find its owner. That was the day we made the potion together."

I narrowed my eyes at him questioningly. "But doesn't the potion show you where an item originated? Wouldn't that take you to a factory or something?"

He shook his head. "No. Items change as people use them and give them homes. That meant the Prinot's origin was where it was used the most."

"So, did you get it back to them?" I inquired, invested in his story.

"Yes, but it turned out it was just the book-keeping for a business," he frowned a bit at the memory. "Nothing special about it."

"What a let-down," I sympathised.

"Not at all," he said. "It was a job well done, and Katrina took me on a special trip to the archives of the Musee de la Magie that same day."

I snickered. "You mean she took you there to cheer you up." He pursed his lips again and glared at the cutting board, pink tinging his ears. "So, what else did your sister teach you?"

"Mostly, she taught me the spells and potions we've been learning in class," he explained. "That was about it."

I looked sideways at him with a knowing smirk. "Oh, come on. I know you. There must have been a ton of stuff that wasn't class related."

"Not really," he lied. I tilted my head and pursed my lips. "Oh, _fine_. There was one time she let me help her make her famous Witch's Brew for a party. We spent hours in the kitchen, and at the end of it, she even let me try some."

"Was it good?"

"I suppose," he shrugged. "It was a bit like butterscotch but spicy, and it made me oddly dizzy." I laughed. _It's alcohol, Beck. That's what it's supposed to do._ "I tried to sneak more at the party, but Katrina was watching me like a gryphon, and every time I got close, she'd shoo me away."

"She seems pretty over-protective," I watched the fire as it curled up under the cauldron.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it," he chortled. I nudged him with my elbow again. "Would you quit that?"

"Not until you elaborate. I don't have siblings. I'm living vicariously through you right now. What else did she do?" I reangled myself to face him.

He slid the scale pieces off of the board and into the cauldron and handed me a ladle. "First, stir anti-clockwise ten times, then add the meteorite fragment."

"Whole?" I asked.

"Yes, whole," he replied.

I set about stirring, counting my rotations, then dropped the shiny rock into the liquid. He began cutting up the ends of a plant. "Beckett," I said. When he didn't respond, I added, "You're stalling. Talk."

"I am doing no such thing," he huffed. I aimed a hand at his ribs, making a tickling motion, and he held up his hands in a surrender. "Alright, alright!" he stared down at my hand until I pulled it back. "When I was in my last year of secondary, I really wanted to brew Seer's Sight. It's a rather difficult potion that lets you see into the past," he told me. "But when I asked Katrina to help me, she said it was too dangerous and that I'd need to wait longer until I was at Penderghast to learn it."

"I'm guessing you didn't," I took a shot in the dark.

He stuck up his nose. "There is no harm that comes from learning… but in my case, she may have been right," he pursed his lips. "Instead of listening to her, I attempted to make the potion on my own."

"Called it," I nodded. "It went horribly wrong in every way possible, didn't it?"

"It sort of… exploded," a smile tugged at his mouth.

"And?"

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "And singed off one of my eyebrows."

I laughed when he blushed. "You with one eyebrow? I bet you were still cute, though."

"You're joking," he stared blankly at me.

I bit my lip. "I think you could pull it off," I teased. "Besides, how attractive you are isn't centered around your eyebrows." I looked him over quickly, my eyes lingering on his jawline.

"I'm glad we agree that my brain is my most attractive feature," he smirked.

I looked into his eyes. "I was gonna say your well-toned shoulders, but sure. We'll go with that."

"Sky," he stared down at the potion ingredients, a frown suddenly overtaking his face. "I wanted to… apologise for this morning. For leaving so abruptly."

_Finally._ "I wanted to ask about that. Was it something I did?" I turned back to the potion, pulling my knee to my chest and wrapping my arms around it.

"No!" he said quickly, making me flinch. "I mean… No, it wasn't you. It was my own fault," he chewed the inside of his lips. I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't.

I rested my cheek on my knees as I looked him over. "Why won't you look at me?' I asked. "Is it the same reason you pushed me away?"

"I-," he stammered, his eyes meeting mine swiftly, but turning away only a moment after. "Yes."

"And that reason is…," I encouraged. He looked like he might just die from embarrassment. I sighed and looked away. "I guess you don't have to tell me…"

"I'm afraid to kiss you!" he blurted out, staring at the bookcase to his right instead of at me.

My eyes went wide. "Wh-why?"

"I- I'm not used to… being so close with someone," even his neck was red at this point.

"You did fine out in the woods, better than fine, actually," I couldn't stop staring at him. "Why does kissing me suddenly bother you?"

"It doesn't _bother_ me. It's just… You make me… _feel_ a particular way that I'm not particularly acquainted with," he tried to explain. _Oh my god, is he telling me he's a virgin? I mean, I'm not surprised he is, just that he's telling me._ I thought for a moment. _Wait… it can't be that he's scared to _kiss_ me, because he's good at it, which means he's scared to have _sex_ with me. Was he hard this morning?_ I thought back. I _had_ been straddling him, and I was being _super_ flirty. If he was thinking about me even half as R rated as I was thinking about him, he probably was. I felt horrible instantly. I'd been upset with him for liking me too much…

"Beckett, look at me," I said. When he didn't, I repeated it as more of an order. He was trying so hard to maintain his cool, and failing. I got to my feet and stepped over him, a foot on either side of his lap, before falling to my knees. I pushed him back so he was lying down and put my hands on either side of his neck. It was the same position we'd been in that morning. "Kiss me."

Without another word, his hand snaked around my neck, pulling me down into him. Our lips met with the same passion as the night prior. _Hypothesis confirmed._ His tongue ran along my lip and I deepened the kiss, lowering myself onto my elbows to play with his hair. His other hand pulled down on my waist, making my back arch. His lips trailed from mine down my chin to my neck.

"See, you have nothing to be self-conscious about," I hummed as his thumb traced my jaw. Our mouths crashed together again in sweet, sweet passion, making me moan into him. He pulled back, pressing his forehead lightly against mine, panting slightly. I tilted my chin towards him to kiss him again, but he cleared his throat and looked away. _Not again!_

"As much as I would like this to continue, we shouldn't get distracted," he said, putting both hands on my waist. "We still have to finish the potion."

I huffed, but understood. Potion making wasn't something to fool around with. We sat up, me still on his lap, and kissed gently one last time before I got up and sat next to him again. "Okay, buzzkill, what's next?"

His mouth twitched into a small, genuine smile as he picked up the jar of breath and handed it to me, our fingers grazing each other as I took it. "Just let it wash over the potion."

"Like frog's breath in Nightmare Before Christmas," I nodded to myself as I uncorked the vial over the liquid. He looked at me curiously, but I ignored him. The potion turned from the bright boiling orange to a soft and thick green.

"Perfect," Beckett grinned. "That's precisely what it's supposed to do. In a few hours, it'll be ready. This was much easier than I expected."

"It's nice to have help, isn't it?" I smirked.

"Only when help is… capable," he looked me over.

I put one hand to my chest and fanned my face with the other. "Oh my. _The_ Beckett Harrington just called _me_ capable. I might just faint, I'm so honoured."

"Don't be ridiculous. You were merely competent. That's nothing to preen at," he smiled, blushing from ear to ear.

I gasped. "Oh, now I'm 'merely competent.' I must have done something good in a past life for this moment of extasy."

He huffed, but it quickly turned into a laugh. Sadly, as quick as his smile had shown itself, it disappeared, and he forced himself to look angry. "Whatever," he hissed.

I smirked and leaned my shoulder into his, my hands in my lap. "So," I said softly, "now that the potion has to sit for a while…" He turned his head to look down at me. I grinned widely. When he didn't object, I tilted my chin up, pushing my lips out until he got the hint.

"You're ridiculous," he chuckled, but leaned down to me.

I put two fingers on his forehead, covering one eyebrow, then looked him over appraisingly. "Just as I thought. One eyebrow Beckett is still super hot." His face burned red, making we want to kiss him again, so I did, giggling into his lips.

His fingers brushed my skin as he pushed a strand of curly hair behind my ear. "What nonsense," he said softly, not seeming offended in the slightest.

We talked, joked, and kissed until we heard the echo of the others walking down the hallway, chattering as they went. When we heard them climbing up the ladder, he pushed me away gently. I pulled my leg off of his and tried to straighten my hair, which had been seriously messed up by his hand. As Zeph's head began to poke through the floorboards, I felt Beckett pull my sweater collar up to my neck, covering my previously exposed shoulder.

"We bring gifts of sustenance!" Zeph announced, then raised his brow with a smirk when he saw us. "You two play nice?"

"We just worked on the potion," I lied, getting a thankful look from my new boy toy.

"Mm-hm," he wiggled his brows, but didn't say anything else on it.

Beckett and I ate our fill, which was all of the food they brought back, then the group gathered around the cauldron. The liquid was a minty green and looked smooth as silk. A single bubble found its way to the top and burst, letting out a bright light.

"It's ready," Beckett publicised. "Now, you simply have to put the essence in the potion, and let it do the rest."

I pulled the rock out of my bag and held it out over the cauldron. "Well, here goes nothing," I let it fall out of my hand into the potion.

After a moment of sitting, Beckett fished it out with the ladle. The essence was glowing bright red, like it had before I took it off of the floor. "Just as intended," he said. "Now remember, this will show you where the monster came from, so you need to absorb as much information as you can about the place." He held the ladle out to me and I took the rock in my hands.

The second I touched it, my vision went white. I wish there was another way to go about the visions I kept having, but this seemed to be standard. I saw the Hall of Mirrors, clear as day, but it wasn't long before I was back in the Roost. I held my hand to my head. "I know where we have to go," I said, my gut not feeling up to the trip.

We rushed down to the Hall of Mirrors, but when we stepped inside, the room was empty. I wasn't sure what we were expecting would be in there, but it seemed shocking.

"This isn't suspicious or anything," Zeph mumbled, his eyes darting everywhere.

Griffin started looking around in the corners near the door and behind the standing mirrors. "Looks like the coast is clear. We're the only ones here."

"Do you think the potion was faulty?" I asked.

"Don't be absurd," Beckett piped up. "Of course it worked. I'd venture to guess that the source of the monsters is through one of these mirrors."

Shreya waved her hand in front of her. "No, that shouldn't be possible. The mirrors have protective wards on them. Nothing should be able to get through."

I stepped towards one of the full-length mirrors against the wall. My reflection was the guy from before, but he didn't seem threatening this time. He looked worried. I cocked my head and reached my hand out to the glass. _If there are wards, this should be safe, right?_ When our hands met, the glass shattered, and I was pulled into the mirror the same way I had been back in Toronto. I struggled, but nothing I did helped. When my eyes finally cleared, I was in a strange place. The sky was red, the trees were black, and shadows were white… It looked oddly familiar, but I didn't know why.

"Wh-where am I?" I looked back at the mirror I'd just come through. I could see my friends panicking, but they weren't responding to my gestures.

A loud roar shook the ground beneath me. I fell to my knees. When I looked behind me, a shadow monster… one so large and frightening that it shook my soul…


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: Like Looking into a Mirror

_What do I do?! Where am I?! What is that thing?!_ I was on the ground, crawling backwards toward the mirror. The shadow that towered over me was over three meters tall and had long, curled horns like a minotaur. Its hands looked humanoid, but they were huge and the claw-like nails growing out of them were long and sharp. When it roared, the ground shook, making me unable to keep my footing every time I tried to get up. When I was pinned against a large, dark tree, the beast hurled itself at me. I barely managed to scramble out of the way before it hit the tree, uprooting it and sending it flying. It turned swiftly and swiped its large claw at me. I braced myself, expecting to be mauled, murdered, or worse. What's worse than being mauled or murdered, you ask? I was in a backwards world I'd travelled to via mirror and was being hunted by a Belrog. Take a guess.

"That's enough!" a bright light stunned the beast. I looked up and saw Swan leaning over me, her shining hand held out to the monster, blinding it.

"Professor! How-," I had so many questions.

"The mirror dimension was calling to me," she said in a rushed tone. "I knew you must have been in danger. You need to get out of here! Now!" she commanded.

"I tried!" I looked under her arm at the mirror before pulling myself to my feet. "It didn't work when I touched it!"

"Try again!" she shouted. I tried to make a run for it, but the beast let out a blood-curdling roar that didn't just shake the ground. It shook my core. I was frozen. "Skyler! Move!" she shrieked as it rushed toward me. I was barely able to move, but I was able to throw myself behind a tree. The beast slammed into the ground where I'd been standing. When it realised it hadn't caught me, its head whipped around in search.

_This isn't happening. I can't believe this is happening._ I tried to stay as still as possible, but I was breathing sporadically. I could hear it sniff at the tree.

"Get away from him!" Swan yelled furiously, blasting it with another strong ray of light. The beast hissed and recoiled. "Go through that mirror! Quickly, now!"

I looked around the tree. I had a clear shot to the mirror. I made a run for it, but a rumble made me look over my shoulder. I dive-rolled out of the way to dodge the massive claw sweeping at me. When it missed, a whirlwind formed in the surrounding area, catching Swan in the ridiculously strong gusts. The tornado slammed into her, sucking her into its dark vortex.

"No!" I screamed. The beast's eyes met mine as it snarled. "Oh, shit," I darted for the mirror, my fingers grazing it just before I felt the beast's presence over me. I emerged in Swan's office. I tried to stand up, but my leg was caught in the mirror still. I struggled to pull myself out. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" I reached for anything to try to pull me out, but the stacks of books just fell and hit my arms. Eventually, I got hold of the desk leg and pulled my foot through. I scrambled to my feet and made a B-line for the door.

"Are you alright there?" a student was out in the hallway, watching my struggle. "I heard someone shouting."

"Move! We have to get out of here, now!" I shouted at her and pushed her towards the door.

She looked at me like I was mad. "What are you-," she objected, but she was cut off by the leather armchair colliding with the wall next to our heads.

I looked back and saw a thick dark arm reaching through the mirror, failing about. She screamed and I pushed her out into the hall. "Run!" I barked, but she turned back, looking determined.

She held her hands out to the room and conjured a fireball, sending it flying at the mirror. "That should slow it down!" Sadly, she could not have been more mistaken. The fire was absorbed by the shadow and didn't seem to have any effect at all. "Or not?" she gasped. I took her arm and pushed her back out to the hall, but as I did so, the beast's hand snagged my ankle. I fell to the floor, hitting my face on the rug. As it dragged me back, she extended her hand to me. I grabbed her arm with both hands. "I've got you!"

"Don't let go! _Please_, don't let go!" I begged her as she started pulling me. The shadow's grip seemed to weaken. "It's working!"

She held her other arm up towards the mirror, making it bubble and re-sculpt itself. "Just a little-," she mumbled. A roar came from behind me and I saw the beast's head creep through the mirror. Suddenly, its grip intensified, and I was no longer being pulled by the girl. I looked back at her, but she was on the floor.

"Really?! She _fainted_?!" I shouted as I clawed the carpet, trying to keep myself from being dragged back into the mirror, but nothing helped. When my eyes finally adjusted, everything was backwards. I was in the mirror dimension again, but it had flipped from the previous time. The beast tossed me away from the mirror and I landed in the mud. I coughed, feeling a stabbing pain in my chest. I somehow managed to pull myself to my feet, my arm clutching my ribs. "Ugh, I'm gonna die," I coughed again, harder than last time. A pain shot through my chest and breathing was no longer painless. The beast began to trudge towards me. "Bobby?!" I screamed, wincing.

My faithful companion appeared in front of me like he'd been waiting for me to call him. He was already growling at the monster, the spines on his back flaring up. The beast stopped when it saw him, hissing loudly. It charged at us and I was barely able to scoop Bobby Drake up and jump out of the way before it skidded through the mud and slid into another mirror I hadn't seen beforehand. Not that it would be useful, since it shattered upon impact.

"Any ideas, boy?" I asked him. He pointed his nose towards a mirror behind me. On the other side of the glass was a silver sword. "That's convenient," I said, putting him down and rushing for it. I reached my hand through the glass and pulled the sword off of the rock it'd been sitting on. It was a struggle getting it to come back with my arm through the mirror. "Come on!" With all the strength I could muster, I yanked on the hilt with both hands. I fell backwards, sword in hand. The ground shook as the monster approached. I stood up defensively, holding the sword out with both hands shakily. As its claw swept at me again, I swung the blade, cutting straight through its arm. "Holy shit! That worked?!" I looked down at the blade, amazed, as it began to glow. The arm turned to vaper and was sucked up by the sword. "What is this thing?!"

The creature let out a piercing shriek, holding its arm close to its body. I turned the sword in my hands to get a better look at it while the beast was stunned, and when I did so, the shadows shot back out from it and slammed into the monster. It whimpered in pain. I looked up and saw its core glowing red in its chest. When it looked back at me, it hissed. The shadows making up its body spread thin and created a new arm as well as covering up the whole in its chest.

"You've got to be kidding. That's not even fair!" I huffed. I turned around and ran as fast as I could, Bobby on my heel. I looked back over my shoulder just in time to dodge a mirror it had thrown at me. It shattered when it hit the floor and Bobby teleported out of the way. I spun around, seeing another about to hit my face. I dropped the sword and clapped my hands over my head. "Solis!" I screamed, and a bright light covered both of us, letting the mirror bounce off without a scratch. The beast slammed its fist on the ground and roared.

I grabbed the sword and Bobby and ducked behind a large rock. _What do I do?!_ I hit my head against the rock, trying to maybe… whack and idea into my head. I peeked over the rock at the beast. Red smoke flickered out of his face as it took to all fours and charged at me. I stood up quickly and did a swift hand motion before thrusting both of my palms forward. The mirrors and trees closest to me splintered and shot like daggers at the creature. I did another motion for good measure. The shards of wood stabbed at the beast, distracting it as I sent an entire tree flying at it, hitting the creature like a club. It stumbled back, but it didn't last for long. _Why is none of this working?!_

I linked my index and middle fingers at my chest and concentrated on the trees around me. "Rethina!" I shouted, separating my fingers. A thick rope of resin appeared between them. With a flourish, I sent it flying at the monster. It circled around the beast like a lasso, bringing it tumbling to the ground. I let out a heavy sigh, thankful that _something_ finally worked. My relief was short lived, though. It couldn't move, but apparently it could still shoot shadow balls out of its mouth. I decided to run while I could. The more ground I could make, the better. The beast began to crawl forward, slowly breaking its bonds. Bobby Drake leapt in front of me, landing in a puddle with a splash. He growled viciously at the beast. "No! You're not strong enough!" I called out to him, but he didn't listen.

The monster broke through the resin rope and swiped at my companion, throwing him off to the side. Bobby whimpered and tried to stand up, but he was limping. He forced himself to his feet and hobbled back in front of me. "Bobby! Stop!" I shouted, not wanting him to take any more damage. I tried to run to him. Unfortunately, I was so distracted by Bobby's injuries that I didn't notice a shadow ball aiming straight for me. It sent me flying backwards into the mud, landing on my back with the wind knocked out of me. Bobby whined and looked over at me with worry on his face. As I reached out to him, I noticed his reflection in the puddle didn't look much like him. It was bigger and stronger looking. The water ripped, seeming to glow. "Bobby, get in the water!" I called to him, my gut telling me that it would be okay. He looked at me curiously, but did as he was told. After a bright flash of light, he stood in front of me, three times the size and looking a hell of a lot scarier. His horns were longer and curved down by his face and the spines on his back were thicker and glistened with ice as his hackles rose. He snarled at the beast then whipped his tail quickly, like a stegosaurus, sending icy spikes toward the thing. They shot through its shoulder, leaving a gaping hole. The beast shrieked. "Oh my god," I couldn't do anything but stare. "Good boy!" I praised, pulling myself to my knees. He woofed excitedly. I got to my feet and stood next to him. "I think we can do this now," I grinned, feeling a flicker of hope, and he nodded. I could feel his magic coursing through me, stronger now than it was, and my hands began to glow with radiant light. I held my palms out to the beast and watched as the light began to engulf my whole body. The monster let out another cry of agony. "I think we got it," I said under my breath, hoping for the best, but planning for the worst.

I was wrong. The beast lurched forward and hammer-fisted Bobby. "Bobby!" I screeched, kneeling down to try to help him up, but he was seriously injured. He whimpered and closed his eyes before disappearing into the ether. My eyes wouldn't leave the spot he'd just been. I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. When I finally looked up, I could feel fear building up in my gut. The monster took a step toward me, but collapsed, its arm not recovering this time. I could feel the tears stream down my cheeks. My sadness and fear turned to anger and I slammed my fists into the ground. The mud around its legs shot up like a geyser and solidified, locking it in place. When I approached it, sword in hand, ready to strike, the fire in its core died out and left behind nothing but empty smoke. I let my arms fall, but kept the sword clutched tightly in my hand. I was speechless, watching the body. Nothing happened. I let out a sigh and fell to my knees. I was _exhausted_ and hurt and scared out of my mind. I took a few deep breaths before looking around. I needed to find my way back to Swan's office.

I picked myself up, using the sword as a crutch, and started back the way I came. As I walked passed the creature's husk, I could feel a breeze. When I looked up at it, the shadowy body had turned to vaper and was leaking out into the air. _That's not good, is it?_ The vaper began to form a sphere, collecting every bit of the body below it. As it grew, it reshaped itself into an identical beast. It roared as it dropped to the ground, the red light renewed in its core. "You've got to be _fucking_ kidding me!"

It swiped at me, but I dodged. I could feel the anxiety and anger returning, burning inside me. I held both hands out, making a diamond with my thumbs and index fingers. Light shot out of my hands and slammed into the new beast. It tried to lunge at me, but stumbled. It looked around like it was scared. I ran and hid behind a tree. Whatever was scaring it was probably no friend of mine. It screeched and sprinted off into the distance.

I peeked around the tree, glad it was gone. It had caused me so much trouble _and_ hurt, or killed, both Professor Swan and Bobby. I had no idea about the status of either, and I was in such a state that I couldn't think straight at all. I ran. I'm not sure where I was running to. Everything in the mirror realm looked so similar and the colour scheme hurt my eyes, confusing me even more. I stumbled into a clearing and saw the same beast about to attack a figure near the tree line. _I thought I ran away from it… How it get here? Or how did I get here? _I squinted and noticed that it was my reflection the beast was attacking… only_ real_ this time. He was really there. The monster roared and the guy screamed as it tackled him. Not knowing what else to do, I took a step out from the tree I'd hidden behind, conjuring the biggest fireball I could muster and chucking it at the beast. "Get off of him!" The fire hit the beast and it recoiled, letting my doppelganger go. As it stumbled back into the clearing, I ran around it to help him up. "Are you okay?" I asked, extending my hand.

He scrambled to his feet, not taking my hand and not taking his eyes off to the beast for a second. "It's wounded, but not done yet. Brace yourself," he glared at it.

"Um, alright. Are you good, or?" I asked again, unable to tell if he was injured.

"Save it! We still have work to do!" he hissed. _Okay, Mr. Touchy._ The monster got back onto its feet and two cyclones appeared in its hands. The wind around us began to howl loudly. I could feel myself being sucked in as several mirrors, rocks, and tree limbs flew passed us. "We have to work together!" he shouted over the wind. "I need you to channel your magic into the ground and make a downward slice," he demonstrated by chopping at the air, "then say 'consume'!"

I put all my weight into my feet to ground myself and did as he'd instructed. I sliced my hand down, my pinkie nearly hitting the ground, and shouted, "Consume!" The ground opened up in front of me, creating a wide fissure under the beast. It screeched as it fell down into the abyss. As quickly as it'd opened, the crack closed up, leaving no trace of its existence. "Is… is that it? Did we do it?" I panted, my ribs stinging with every breath. Just passed the point where the beast had been, stood an old man with long white hair. I was going to say something, but a thud next to me grabbed my attention. My doppelganger had collapsed. I knelt next to him. "Hey, wake up!" I shook his shoulders. _What do I do?_ Out in the opening, a large shadow ball appeared. _Not again…_ Professor Swan fell out of it before it closed and disappeared. "Professor! You're alive!"

"Yes," she seemed just as shocked as I was. "It seems like that void didn't like me very much… but you're okay!" she rushed over to me. "I was beginning to fear the worst! I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, Skyler. That creature… it was much stronger than I anticipated. It caught me by surprise."

"Speaking of surprises," I gestured to the guy in front of me, trying to draw her attention to the injured guy lying in front of me.

"Oh my goodness! Atlas!" she rushed to his side and propped his head up on her lap.

"You know him?!" I blurted out.

"Of course I do!" she brushed the white hair off of his forehead, analysing his situation.

"Why? Who is he?" was the obvious follow-up question.

She looked like a mother who'd just found her injured child. "When you mentioned a reflection, I thought maybe he was checking in, but I didn't realise he was trapped here," she looked like she was about to cry. "Oh dear…" She checked his pulse then breathed a sigh of relief. "Seems like he's just unconscious." She shook her head then turned back to me. "Let's get out of here."

We draped his arms around our shoulders and headed back to the mirror. We stepped through to her office and set him down in the blue armchair. Swan turned around and lifted her hands to the mirror, doing a series of complicated gestures.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Putting the wards back up," she explained. "I had to take them down to get to you. We don't want anything coming through… again." After a few more circles with her hand, she nodded to herself and turned around, looking over her office. "What happened here?"

"That thing chased me through the mirror and dragged me back in. It made a bit of a mess in the process," I told her.

She shrugged it off and looked me over, her hands on my shoulders. "It looks like you came out of that fight looking alright. Just a couple bumps and bruises, but that's to be expected. No permanent damage, though. It seems all that training paid off," she grinned weakly. It was odd, but my breathing became more steady and the pinching in my chest nearly subsided as she spoke.

"I'm honestly surprised I'm not dead," I stared blankly back at her. "So… can we talk about the elephant in the room?" I asked, looking down at the guy next to me.

"Absolutely," she nodded, pointing at the unconscious girl on the floor. "Who is that and did you kill her?"

"What? No, why would I kill her?" I looked between her and the girl, confused on how she even jumped to that conclusion. "She just fainted. She was trying to help me before…," I shook my head and looked back at Swan. "What I was actually talking about was this guy," I pointed to him again. "Who even is he?"

Swan crossed the room, daintily stepping over the scattered books and pieces of shattered armchair on her way to the girl. She gently rolled her out of the office and closed the door, wiping her hands on her shirt as she turned back to me. Normally, I would have made a comment about that, but I was too shocked to deal with any form of humour at that point. "Oh, that...," she avoided my eyes. "I admit, I knew more about your situation than I originally let on," she started. _No, really?_ "But I could tell you weren't ready, so… I lied."

"If it's _my_ situation, why would you lie to me about something so important?" I snapped.

"I promise, I only did it to try and keep you safe!" she held up her hands in surrender.

I scoffed and turned away, running a hand tightly down my neck. "Everyone seems to think lying to me is the only way to keep me safe. Look how that's turned out."

"There are so many things you don't understand, Skyler. I didn't want you to get dragged into it all," she said sorrowfully.

I rolled my eyes. "I literally just got dragged through a mirror by a giant shadow beast, and I've had other shadow monsters come after me before. I think I've been in it for a while."

"I knew when you showed up here that something was wrong, but I wanted you to have a chance to be happy," she said. "I guess I didn't do a great job."

"Wait," I turned back around. "That means you knew I wasn't supposed to be here? Why wouldn't you have mentioned that before? I've been losing my mind." _How am I supposed to trust anyone now?!_

"It's a long story," my doppelganger groaned and leaned forward, holding his head in his hands. "You don't have to trust her, but you should trust me," he said as if he was reading my thoughts.

I laughed ironically. "You're kidding, right? Every time _you_ show up, I get attacked by something trying to kill me."

"That's exactly what I've been trying to warn you about," he snarled up at me. "I'm the one who's been protecting you from the beginning."

"Warn me? By writing 'blood' in the mirror? You couldn't have been more specific? You had that entire mirror to write on," I retorted. "And why would you protect me? Who _are_ you?"

"Look, I didn't have a lot of time for that one," he scoffed then held up his hand, shaking his head. "You really don't get it, do you?" He stood up right in front of me, eyeing my face. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a torn photograph, holding it up for me to see. "I'm your twin, Sky."

I took the photo from his hand and stared down at it. There was a woman holding a baby boy. On his left arm was a crescent moon shaped birthmark.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven: Oh, Brother…

"Twin?!" I sputtered when he'd snatched the picture back from me. "I don't have a twin. I don't even have siblings," I ran my hands down the back of my head, stopping at the base of my neck. I did not know how to take in any of the information I'd just learned.

"Weren't you listening to anything I _just_ said?" he scowled. It was like looking into a mirror… Our expressions were different, though. There was a silence as the two of us started at each other. Well, he more glared at me than stared, frustrated by my shock.

"Well!" Swan turned on her heel and headed to the back corner of her office. "I see you two have a lot to catch up on. I'll just make some tea, shall I? And maybe something stronger for myself," she mumbled the last part.

Finally, I let out a breath I'd been holding. "Okay, I believe you."

"You do?" he seemed thrown off.

I nodded and shook my head at the same time. "Yeah, sure, why not? Really, it's the only thing that makes sense." Swan held two teacups out to us. I took mine, but Atlas stole the whiskey from her desk and downed it in one go. I pulled the cup to my lips, sipping lightly, hoping it was the same stuff she gave me last time. "I have so many questions." Swan busied herself behind her desk, leaving my _brother_ and I to talk things out. "If you were trying to warn me, why were you so cryptic about it?" I asked, finally getting my thoughts together.

"I wasn't being cryptic, I was trying to get you to let me out!" he crossed his arms.

"Let you out?" I shook my head, not understanding.

"Yeah," he was still agitated. "I got stuck in there _months_ ago trying to save your dumb ass." His eyes softened a bit, but his scowl remained.

"Oh, Atlas," Swan frowned at him sympathetically.

"Save me? From what?" I asked, thinking that _months_ ago I was still in Toronto, completely ignorant of magic and safe, as far as I knew.

He sneered. "From that self-aggrandising sod that calls himself _The Dread_."

"Raife Highmore?" I asked, causally taking another sip. I wasn't sure what else to do at this point. There was so much information coming at me. There was no point in getting worked up over it. I just had to learn and process, which was easier to do calm.

He nodded. "I'm surprised you know his true name."

"Skyler has been studying hard while he's been here," Swan told him. "I'm glad something stuck, though, I had hoped he would focus more on his _school_work than a subject I specifically asked him not to look into," she scolded me.

I shrugged defensively. "It came in handy, didn't it? I read about this guy. He murdered a bunch of kids about two decades ago."

"It wasn't just kids, Sky. It was twins. Hundreds of them," Atlas informed me.

"Buy why?" my brows pinched, trying to imagine any reason to kill a bunch of children. I mean, kids could be annoying, but how crazy would you have to murder hundreds of babies?

"Because he was looking for us," he explained. "And he wants to kill us."

"How inexplicable," I shook my head in disbelief. _Why us specifically? What did we ever do? Were we special somehow? Was there something he needed us for? _ A thousand questions raced around my head. This was too much information.

"Inexplicable?" he squinted. "Yeah, well you didn't think magic was real either up until a few months ago," he snapped.

"It's not like that's _my_ fault. I was raised without magic," I shrugged.

"Atlas, that's enough!" Swan narrowed her eyes at him. "He's… He's not ready!"

"And whose fault is that?!" he hissed at her. "The Dietz family _knew_ this day would come! It was their job to prepare him, like my caregivers did me."

My mind was reeling. "My… my parents are dead," I said softly, catching both of their eyes. They looked utterly shocked. "I mean… my _caregivers_," I hated correcting it, but I had to think about my Atlas and what he would understand. Was it weird to call both sets of parent 'mom and dad'? "My dad died when I was little. A car accident. And my mom… She died two years ago." They shared an anxious look. "What was she supposed to be preparing me for?"

"For the fight to come, of course," he answered. "Our birth parents separated us to keep us safe. Our caregivers were supposed to keep us hidden." His irritation returned. "Now, Raife knows where we are, and he knows we're together. Our time is up, and _you_ have no idea what's coming." He stepped forward and put his hand on my cheek, his fingers cold as ice.

I moved out of his reach. "What are you doing?"

He sighed, his features untightening a bit. "It's a Moon spell. It'll allow me to share my memories with you."

"Atlas!" Swan held out her hand to stop him. "You still need to recover. You're not strong enough to do this right now."

"He needs to see what we're dealing with here," he snapped.

I looked between the two of them. "He's right. I have no clue what's going on and this seems like the fastest way to understand." Swan sighed and nodded reluctantly. Atlas put his hand on my cheek and closed his eyes.

"Skyler, close your eyes," Swan instructed. "This will feel fairly real, but remember that you are perfectly safe." I closed my eyes, and everything went dark.

_I was up in a tall tree, looking down on a caravan of creatures and Attuned wearing dark robes. They were all carrying building materials to a weathered old castle on the nearby hill. _

_"__I don't know why we have to help. We should be up at the castle sitting pretty right about now," one of the gruntmen whined._

_"__You know those things need direction," a woman gestured to the shadow creatures ahead of them. "And you also know the boss doesn't like to hear that kind of talk, so shut up and do as you're told."_

_The man grumbled and raised his hand, effortlessly lifting a massive tree trunk into the air. _He's already build his machine, so what's all this for?_ I squinted, trying to get a better look at the caravan. "All I'm saying is, we better get what we're owed."_

_"__And you shall," a voice echoed through the night. I recognised it and felt a chill run down my spine. Raife was walking down the pathway toward the two lackies. "You know what they say. If you have time to complain, you have time to work. Or maybe you need a little supervision of your own," his voice was gruff and threatening. He held an essence up in his hand and tossed it into the air. Before it hit the ground, a huge shadow beast emerged from the stone. _

_"__N-no, sir!" the man took a step back. "No, I was just telling Sofia how I can't wait to see you ascend to your rightful place, sir," he panicked._

_"__Hm. Rest assured, we will all have our comeuppance," Raife said. "We will all have the power we were denied by earthly limitations, but first, we put in the work." His voice seemed twisted as he grinned, looking insane. _

_"__Sir, not to question your brilliance and wisdom," the woman said, "but all of this work is for nothing if we don't get those twins, right?"_

_"__Not to fret. The eldest has made a mistake. We were finally able to track him through his college applications," he said. "He's at some Attuneless institution in an English town called Toronto. He won't be hard to find." _Sky! I have to get to him first!

_"__And the other one, sir? Atlas?" the man added._

_Raife grinned again. "Ah, Atlas. Well, I'd imagine he's closer than we think." He turned and looked through the treetops, staring right at me through my invisibility ward._ Shit!_ "You can come out now, child. There's no need to hide." _I can't be caught right now!_ I jumped out of the tree, headed straight for the ground. I used the wind to set me down gently before sprinting back toward my camp. I needed the mirror… "Tsk, tsk. Always running," his voice followed me and a ghost like image of him appeared before me. "Fetch, my pet." _No, no!_ I tried to run faster, hearing the angry scream of Raife's shadow pet. I could hear it crunching trees behind me._

_"__Come on, Atlas! Pick up the pace!" I yelled at myself. I intertwined my fingers as I ran, casting an Air spell to propel me forward. I looked over my shoulder. The boost didn't seem to help. The beast was right on my tail. _

_Raife's disembodied head appeared in front of me, laughing. I ran through the projection. "Why don't you just give up, child?" His laugh echoed all around me as I ran through the underbrush to get to my camp, but all my stuff was gone. "Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide."_

_"__That's what you think," I muttered, pulling a compact mirror out of my pocket. I looked up at the moon and aligned the mirror with the moonlight. The light was reflected onto the tree next to me, creating a circle of light. I blew on the mirror, making the circle brighter. I could hear the beast getting closer. I didn't have time. I rushed toward the tree and began drawing a circle around the light in the bark, making my fingers bleed as I dug my nails into it. _Come on, come on, come on!_ When I finished the circle, I took a step back and pressed my palms together. I pulled them back then thrust them towards the tree. "Open!" As the Sun magic left my hands, I tripped forward, completely out of energy. _

_"__Fool! You've weakened yourself!" Raife's voice echoed._

_"__Yeah," I smirked, "but it worked." I pulled myself into the portal I'd just created and dropped into the mirror dimension. I was so drained that I just laid there for a minute. "I can't believe I made it," I groaned, but laughed a bit, relieved. A loud growl got my attention and I realised that the portal was still open. The beast was clawing its way in. "Give me a break!" I stumbled to my feet and hobbled for a mirror several feet away, my vision starting to blur. The creature behind me managed to tear through the portal, but it cried in pain as it did so. It roared, shaking the ground. I tripped and fell into a pool of black water, seeing my scratched and muddy face in my reflection. "Come on, get up! Keep moving!" I drug myself through the mud, pulling myself toward the mirror. "Just… a little… further!"_

_The beast crashed into the trees behind me. I rolled onto my back, looking for a way to defend myself. I threw up my hands, letting a surge of energy escape from my palms. "Yueguang Trabem!" I shouted. The shadow screamed and vanished into wisps of smoke as the essence fell to the floor. "I… did… it," I grinned before blacking out._

Sudden nausea caused me to lean back against the bookshelf. "I feel sick," I groaned.

"That's to be expected," Atlas said. "It'll pass."

"He… He almost had you! And that shadow thing… You're fingers…," I tried to piece together what I'd seen. "Wait… I've seen that before…" I remembered my dream from months ago. It was the first time I'd seen my weird reflection… _Was that the day he got stuck?_

"You have?" his brows raised.

I nodded, the heel of my hand to my temple. "Yeah. The day I got pulled through the mirror into the lake. I dreamt it that morning… or I _thought_ it was a dream, but… I remember everything from the moment you stepped into the mirror dimension." He looked back at Swan, who shrugged, not having the answer for him. "How did you survive?" I remembered the pain I'd felt in my dream and reliving it a moment ago.

He shrugged. "That old creep has been trying to catch me for years."

"Well, what do we do now?" I asked, finally able to stand up straight.

"Now," Swan piped in, "you go back to your room and keep Atlas out of sight until I can figure out what to do about this mess!"

"That's it? But-," I objected.

She put her hand up, stopping me. "Please, Skyler. I know this is a lot to process, and I know you have more questions, but it's my duty to keep you safe," she said sternly. Then she turned to Atlas. "The both of you. Please, let me do that."

Atlas stared at her for a while, but nodded curtly. "Fine."

"Sure, that's all well and good, but in case you hadn't noticed, Atlas has my face," I pointed out. They both raised their eyebrows at me until I expanded on my thought process. "People are going to notice that I suddenly have a twin brother running around."

"Ah, I've got just the solution for that," Swan beamed. "I can put an illusion over him that will make him invisible to everyone except you, Skyler. It only lasts for thirty minutes, though, so you'll have to go straight back to your dorm room. Don't stop for anything," she looked between us until we both nodded. Then she stepped close to him and made pinching motions in the air around him. Each point left a crease of rainbow light.

"Is it… working? What are those lights?" I asked. Atlas walked over to the mirror, but showed no reflection. I chuckled. "Awesome. You're a vampire." He rolled his eyes and groaned. When Swan didn't seem to have anything else to add, he turned for the door. "I guess we're leaving now."

"Before you go," she frowned at me. "I know Atlas has a lot of hard edges, but he's your brother, and he did a lot to keep you safe and shield you from the evils out there. Just remember that while I try to get this all sorted out. I suspect living with him in close quarters is going to get a bit… tiresome."

I raised my brows in agreement. "I get the feeling you're right. I'll keep it in mind," I smiled weakly before following him out into the hall. He was leaning against the wall, drumming his fingers against his arm.

"Finally. I need you to show me the Hall of Mirrors. The entrance on your end, of course, not the mirror I came through," he said, standing up straight and shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Um, I don't think we should do that. We're kind of on a time crunch," I argued.

"You do realise our lives are on the line here, right?" he hissed. "Trust me, I know that better than Swan does."

"Yes, but if this spell wears off, people are going to notice you. You may look like me, but," I looked him over. "Well, people are going to notice. I'm a bit more fashionable than you."

Not blinking, he said, "Says the guy currently covered in mud."

I looked down at myself quickly. "Oh no… This is Merino," I tried to brush some of the dried dirt off of my favourite teal sweater, but it was horribly stained. "This is going to take some serious elbow grease to get out…" Feeling disheartened, like my sweater was the final straw in the amount of things I could handle, I dusted off my jeans with a huff.

"Are we going, or are you going to take an hour to fuss over your clothes?" he sighed.

I rolled my eyes, perching my hand on my hip. "Fine, I'll show you, but you need to stay quiet. You may be invisible, but the whole school can still hear you."

"Fine. Your turf, your rules," he agreed.

I nodded, turning up my nose, and started off toward the hall. "What exactly are you expecting to find there anyway?" I asked quietly as we turned the corner.

"You don't think it's suspicious that I've been banging on the other side of that glass for months, but _now_ I'm suddenly able to get through?" he asked. "If that's a coincidence, I'll eat a skizditch whole."

I thought for a second. "Come to think of it, when I first got pulled through, I couldn't get back either. It wasn't until Swan let down the wards that I was able to get back in." As we rounded the corner, I stopped and backed up, pushing him against the wall.

"Excuse you?" he hissed.

"Shush!" I whispered lowly, my finger to my lips. I peeked around the corner quickly to confirm what I saw. "Professor Englund is guarding the door. Looks like we'll have to come back later."

He shrugged me off of him and started around the corner. I grabbed his jacket sleeve and pulled him back again. "You touch my jacket one more time, I swear…," he threatened. _Now who's fussing over clothes?_

"I said shush!" I whispered harshly. "What's your plan here? You know you're essentially an _intruder_, right? I'm not sure if you've heard, but intruders get vaporised here."

"Yeah, I'm also currently invisible," he rolled his eyes. "You can talk to him. Ask him my questions for me. He's got to know something that can help us," he pushed me forward. I tentatively turned the corner and approached my professor.

"Skyler! One of my star students," he greeted me. "If this is about your homework, we'll have to chat later. Students aren't allowed down this hall for the time being."

"Oh, is that so? Why's that?" I asked. Have I mentioned I'm really good at lying, because I am.

"You haven't heard?" Englund's jaw dropped. "I thought it'd be all around school by now. I'm not really supposed to talk about it."

I pursed my lips. "If the whole school already knows, why is it a secret? What could you tell me that I couldn't go find out from another student?"

He looked around nervously. "I guess you make a fair point… Well, if anyone asks, you heard it from the old rumour mill, but it appears that someone has vandalised the mirror room."

I furrowed my eyebrows, crossing my arms and shifting my weight to look concerned. "What? Vandalised the Hall of Mirrors? Who would do such a thing?"

"Laying it on a bit thick there," Atlas whispered behind me. It took everything in my power not to roll my eyes. _Boy, you don't know. This is how I talk._

"That's all we know at the moment," he frowned. "The dean is currently busy attending to other matters, but she'll be down to check the sentry recordings as soon as she's finished," he pointed to a suit of armour against the wall.

"That's all? But what about-," I started, but he shook his head.

"It's nothing for you to worry about, Skyler. Now, please, I need you to keep this hallway clear," he pushed me back down the hall.

"Alright. Bye, Professor," I bit my cheek, letting out a sigh as we turned the corner. "Well, that was a complete waste of time."

"Not entirely," Atlas walked over toward the sentry near the main door in the foyer. "These sentries act like Tuneless video cameras. We may not be able to see inside the mirror room, but we can at least see the aftermath."

"Well, that's cool… and useful," I looked the suit of armour up and down with my arms crossed, impressed.

"Considering we know absolutely nothing, I don't see how it could hurt," he said. "We should have enough time before Swan's spell wears off."

"Sounds fun," I nodded.

"I'm _so_ glad you've got your priorities straight," he rolled his eyes. I walked up to the sentry, not sure what to do. "Don't just stand there. Ask it a question."

"Uh… Sentry, please tell us what happened in the mirror room," I asked politely. There was a long silence as we anticipated its reply, but none came.

"Fantastic," Atlas groaned.

I smirked. "I have an idea," I put my hand on the sentry's metal shoulder and stared into the helm. "Would you mind telling us what happened in the Hall of Mirrors?" The inside of the armour began to glow, and the helmet rattled as the suit came to life.

"Did you just use a Moon spell?" Atlas' jaw was hanging down. I smirked again proudly. "I can't believe that worked."

A voice echoed out of the hollow armour as it spoke. "Demonstrate thine knowledge and I will do so in kind. Search the crest of Penderghast past and what dost thou find? Before the Dryxmar came a creature most powerful and fierce. Speak forth its name and my defences you will pierce."

Atlas groaned. "I hate riddles," he crossed his arms.

"Ouroboros," I answered simply.

"You knew that?" Atlas seemed surprised for a second time.

I rolled my eyes and shifted my weight. "Yeah, I'm not a straight A student for nothing."

"I just didn't think you would, being new to magic and all," he shrugged defensively.

"You don't have to be able to perform magic to read," I stated bluntly.

The armour accepted my answer when we were finally silent. "You are correct. Now, see through the eyes of another," it said, the light where eyes would have been becoming increasingly luminous until all I could see was white.

_My friends and I were in the hallway outside of the Hall of Mirrors. Skyler had just disappeared. We were panicking as we brushed the shattered glass from our clothes and checked on one another. Luckily, no-one was hurt more than just a scratch._

_"__What happened in there?!" Griffin turned in the doorway, completely stunned. "How are we supposed to go after him if all the mirrors are broken?"_

_"__Why did the mirrors shatter in the first place?!" Shreya asked. "Was it because of the shadow monsters?"_

_"__Never mind why they shattered! Why did Skyler fall through the mirror like that?" Beckett was pacing back and forth in the same five foot stretch of hallway. _

_I had to do something. They needed to calm down and focus. "Guys, relax. I'm sure Sky's relying on us to stay calm right now," I said._

_"__You're right," Griffin crossed his arms thoughtfully and nodded. "We're not help to anyone if we're running around like cockatrices with their heads chopped off."_

_"__Couldn't have put it better myself," I smiled, sincerely hoping Sky was alright…_

_"__So what's the plan, then?" Beckett stopped pacing by the door long enough to narrow his eyes at me. "After we _calm down_, that is?"_

_I held up a hand. "Beckett, I'm gonna need you to take a moment and think about your happy place, wherever that is. Probably the library." He scowled, pain in his eyes. "Take a deep breath. We need to be calm and focused if we're going to be of any use to Sky." His face contorted in a way I'd never seen before he turned away from us, his arms crossed, hand over his mouth. I knew he was worried. We all were._

_"__We need a plan," Shreya spoke up._

_ "__What do you think we should do?" I asked the group._

_"__Wait, wait, wait. Everyone shut up for a second," Beckett waved his hand to silence us while the other met his forehead like it would help him think. I knew he was mean, but I didn't think he'd ever stoop himself down low enough to use the words 'shut up'. "I can figure this out. Just… let me think."_

_Shreya tried to put a hand on his shoulder, sympathising with his frustration, but he slapped it away. "Beckett, it's okay. No-one expects you to come up with a solution on your own."_

_Griffin agreed. "Shreya's right. I know you're worried about Skyler, we all are, but you don't want to over-"_

_"__I said _shut up_!" he shouted. "We need to be thinking about Sky right now, not me!"_

_"__Well, I don't know about any of you, but I'm not going to leave Sky wandering around god knows where. There's _got_ to be another way in," she said. "We just have to find it."_

_"__There are portals into the mirror dimension in the dean's office and Professor Swan's office," Beckett offered._

_"__Maybe, but I doubt us students could access-," Griffin started, but Shreya held up her hand and closed it, her fingers to her thumb, telling him to shut it._

_"__I'm sorry, I don't think you understood me," she glared at him. "Let me say this slowly this time. I. Am. Not. Leaving. Sky. Alone," she clapped between each word._

_I frowned. "Shreya, Sky wouldn't want us to do anything reckless."_

_"__You guys can do whatever you want," she hissed, turning to me. "If being reckless means saving him then I'm gonna be the most reckless woman in Penderghast history!"_

_"__I think we should go to one of the professors and tell them what happened," Griffin suggested. "They'll know what to do."_

_"__That is a _terrible_ idea!" Beckett shouted, seeming extremely out of character. "What if they ask us how it happened? We can't give them a reason, and we're just students. They could end up blaming _us _and that would only make finding Sky more difficult," he glared between us. "They'll find out about the room on their own, so let them. We're all safer that way."_

_"__I don't think the professors would-," I started, but the suit of armour next to me began to move, catching us all off guard._

_"__The sentries!" Griffin exclaimed. "They see everything that goes on here. They _must_ know what happened in the mirror room!"_

_"__Which means they might know what happened to Sky!" Shreya agreed._

_I turned to the knight. "Hey, sentry, why did all the mirrors shatter like that?" I asked._

_"__We know not why the mirrors shattered, but when opposing powers meet on the bridges between worlds, those bridges collapse," it replied._

_"__Well, it heard us, but… what the heck did any of that mean?" I turned to the rest of the group._

_"__Your guess is as good as mine," Griffin shook his head. "The sentries are enchanted to give answers, but not necessarily clear ones."_

_"__Everyone, if you could return to your dorms, please!" Professor Englund's voice bounced off the stone walls as he rounded the corner. "This hallway is off limits for the time being!"_

_We all looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Beckett spoke up first. "We should get out of here. If we get caught and detained, we'll never find Sky." Without waiting for the rest of us, he turned on his heel and trudged off down the hall with a purpose. The rest of us glanced at each other, not knowing what to do, before following after him._

"That is all there is to see," the sentry's voice echoed in front of me.

My head was spinning. I was starting to get sick of visions… "I can't see so well right now, but thank you. That was helpful."

"You're red. Are you coming down with something? What did you see?" Atlas inquired.

I held a hand to my face, feeling that my cheeks were warm. _I know it's not the time, but Beckett looked so worried about me…_ I swooned mentally, then snapped out of it, shaking my head. "We'll talk about it later. Let's go." I turned to usher Atlas out of the foyer when I noticed the rainbow lights around him flickering. At first, I thought it was just the green and purple spots I was seeing for the second time that evening, but then I realised it wasn't. "Time's up, we have to go!" I pushed him toward the exit, but the doors swung open just as we reached them. Without a second thought, I shoved Atlas behind the suit of armour. Its head turned towards me with a loud screech. "Both of you… just… shush!" I held my finger to my lips. As two students started toward the stairs, I leaned against the wall and stared down at my sweater. It really was a shame that such nice wool would get so muddy. They didn't seem to notice me at all as they went about their conversation. "Alright, they're gone. We have to go."

Atlas peered around the armour before stepping out behind me. "Quick thinking," he muttered. We ran down the stairs to the central courtyard of the school. Luckily, the cover of nightfall gave us an edge up on sneaking.

"My dorm is that building there," I pointed across the way.

"Why don't we just book it?" he asked. We were hiding near the bushes behind the upperclassmen dorm, staring at our target.

"You see that statue?" I pointed at the giant lady with the swivelling head. "Remember what I said about intruders being vaporised?" I asked. "That." Her eyes shined like a lighthouse around the campus.

"Oh, I get it," he nodded to himself. "When I say run, _run_," he ordered before jumping out of the bush and patting himself down. He took a casual step to the side, leaving a remnant of himself where he'd been previously standing. He pushed the copy forward in the opposite direction from where we needed to go then darted off across the courtyard.

"You didn't say run!" I scrambled after him.

"I thought it was implied. Keep up!" he shouted back at me.

I looked over my shoulder and saw the lady's gaze completely fixed on the clone. When I looked back, I had to jump quickly. I'd nearly ran right into a flowerbed filled with tinkling tinnies. They would have given us away in a second, since their buds were actual bells. _Oh my god, that was close! _We sprinted up the hill, but I stopped him before we entered the building. I knew the R.A. would be at her desk. We had to sneak passed her. I looked at Atlas before opening the door. The lights around him were flickering rapidly. It was now or never. "Okay, listen," I said, hand on the handle. "You need to sneak passed the girl at the desk then take a right at the hallway. It's a straight shot to my room from there."

"Got it. Say no more," he nodded and did a quick hand motion, making a cracking sound as sparks flew from his knuckles.

"Oh my god! What are you doing?!" I whispered.

"Knocking her out," he looked at me like it was obvious.

I slapped his hands down. "You idiot! We don't need to hurt her! The hell is wrong with you?" I shook my head. "I'll go distract her and you will _sneak_ around to the hallway, yes? My turf, my rules, you said?" He shrugged silently. "Gosh almighty," I mumbled under my breath as I swung the door open. "Hi there, Becca," I grinned widely and leaned on the desk.

She beamed up at me. "Hello, Skyler. What can I do for you?" she asked sweetly.

I saw Atlas slip behind a planter out of the corner of my eye. The leaves reached for him, you know, since all the plants are magic and alive. He swatted at them, flailing around like an idiot. "I wanted to know if you could date that portrait by the painting style," I said, gesturing to the painting behind the desk. As soon as she turned around, Atlas sprung up and darted for the hall, his footsteps not making a sound.

"Uh, you mean the portrait of Celestina Qu'itvitsits?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at me. "It says 1792 on the plaque…"

I sucked my teeth. "That's no fun. It was supposed to be a spontaneous challenge."

She rolled her eyes with a smile. "You and pop quizzes, Skyler. You should get your head out of the books sometimes."

I nodded briefly. "Speaking of, are you hanging out with Griffin this weekend?" I asked, trying to play it off, knowing that she had a thing for him.

She blushed and pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah. What about you? Any plans?"

I shrugged. "You know me, probably _studying_," I chuckled. "I might head out to Penn Square for a bit of spur of the moment shopping, if you know what I mean," I lied. "Anyhoo, I've got to jet," I glanced at the hall where Atlas was impatiently tapping his fingers.

"Oh, alright. Goodnight, Skyler," she said.

I turned to leave, waving over my shoulder. "You, too. Have a good night, Becca."

The lounge was empty, thank god. I sighed heavily and dropped over the arm of the sofa onto the cushions. "Lord, that was _way_ too close."

Atlas crossed his arms and leaned his leg against the other side of the couch, towering above me when I opened my eyes. "Actually, you handled yourself pretty well. Maybe I don't need to worry about you as much as I thought," he said, but before I could respond, he changed the subject. "Now that we're alone, we have to talk about-," he started, but suddenly turned his head to the door. "Do you hear that?"

I strained my ears to listen and heard Shreya's voice coming from the hall. "Well, that's it. Sky's not anywhere on campus… That mirror must have taken him somewhere else entirely."

"The way the glass shattered, I've never seen anything like it," Beckett was there, too.

"Oh no!" I shot up from the couch and pushed Atlas toward the magic door with a million handles. "My room, quick!" I turned the lowest handle and shoved my way into the room, but before he could follow me…

"Sky?!" Shreya froze in place, dropping her bag. I hid behind the door, watching through the crack. "Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere!" Atlas looked panicked, his eyes darting to where I was.

"Just go with it," I mouthed.

Shreya dove at him, wrapping him in a tight hug. "Y-yes. I am Sky. Your _friend_," he said awkwardly. _Dear god…_ His eye twitched as he attempted to smile. I had to pinch myself not to laugh.

"What happened to your hair?" Zeph asked, rushing over and touching Atlas' straighter, brighter hair. Mine was white, too, but the tips were naturally a light lavender, and it curled. His was straight and solid white. _I have to help him_. I tried so hard not to snicker while his eyes shot daggers at Zeph.

I bit my cheek and waved my hand perpendicular to my neck. "Don't answer," I mouthed.

He stared at me for a second, his eyebrows furrowing, but the fake smile still trying to hold itself. "What happened to _your_ hair?" he was terrible at this.

"I hope nothing," Zeph put his hands to his head.

"Never mind all that!" Beckett charged forward, pushing Zeph out of the way. "Where have you been? The Hall of Mirrors was completely destroyed, and you were just gone!" he seemed more panicked than I'd ever seen him. _Awe, babe.._.

"Yeah, where did that mirror take you?" Shreya finally pulled away from him and looked up with worry in her eyes. "We looked all over campus!"

He suddenly seemed to compose himself. "It… it took me to Penn Square. I don't know what went wrong, but it dropped me right into a dumpster." I sighed. "I tried a spell to clean off, but something went wrong and it did this to my hair," he said. "Guess I'll have Swan fix it tomorrow."

"Oh, no need," Beckett took a timid step forward and raised his hand to Atlas. "That's just a simple transmutation spell. I can quite easily-"

"You touch my hair, and I'll punch the eyebrows right off your face," Atlas hissed. The room was dead silent. I hid my face in my hands, unable to watch this disaster of a performance. I couldn't help but feel how much that statement hurt my boy. "Sorry," he said quickly. "I've just had a long day. I'd like to just go to bed," he tried to remedy the situation.

"Oh, well, of course," Shreya frowned, running her hand down his arm. "We're just… glad you're safe. I guess we should all go off to bed, hm?" I could hear her voice crack.

"Thanks. All of you," Atlas said kindly.

Zeph and Beckett turned to leave, looking dejected, but Shreya threw her arms around him one more time. "Oh god, I'm just so relieved! We've been looking everywhere for you, and, you know me, I'm a faithful optimist but even I was starting to get concerned," she cried. "Of course, I was right all along," she smiled through her tears. "I knew whatever happened to you, you'd come out of it just fine, and here you are!"

"Yeah, here I am," Atlas wrapped an arm around her and patted her back.

She held him at arm's length and wiped at her face with her sleeve. "Sky, I'm so, so glad you're alright. Really. I couldn't imagine not having you around," she sniffed. "But what in the world are you wearing?" she looked him over, finally noticing the leather jacket and torn jeans.

"Uh," he was starting to get awkward again, "I had to change when I fell into the trash. It _ruined _my sweater." I was actually impressed by how quickly he'd thought of that. She nodded, understanding fully. She wiped her face with the back of her hand and smiled before joining the others. When she finally left with Beckett and Zeph, he bolted into the room and shut the door hastily, letting out a long sigh of relief. "Your friends talk _so_ much. No wonder you're so behind in your studies." I couldn't hold it anymore. I pursed my lips and shoved my palm into his shoulder. "What's that for?" he hissed.

"'Touch my hair and I'll punch the eyebrows right off your face'?" I scoffed. "That's not going to give you away at all!" I'd managed to stay level headed with everything else he'd done, but threatening my sweet, sweet boyfriend was out of the question.

He shrugged. "It worked out just fine." He looked away uncomfortably. "Your friends are strange. Did you see the way the loud, bright one looked at me? It was odd," he shifted uncomfortably.

I pulled myself together and took a deep breath, pulling the mud gunked sweater over my head and placing it over the back of the chair. "What's odd is your description of people. My friends are sweet." Before I could continue, a knock came from the door. Atlas hid behind the desk as I quickly grabbed a random shirt from the closet and ran to answer. "Beckett," I greeted. _He's the only one who knocks._

"Er, hello. Hi. It's… me… again," he fidgeted.

"I can see that," I smirked.

"You fixed your hair," he pointed out.

"Uh, yeah," I ran a hand through my wonderfully wavy locks as I closed the door behind me. "It just… turned itself back…"

He stared straight into my eyes, his brows pinched with worry. "You…," he started, his voice soft and fragile. "You have no idea how troublesome you are!" he grabbed either side of my neck, pulling me into a surprise kiss. It was angry, but somehow still soft. I melted into him, my hand lightly gripping his wrist. When he pulled back, he looked like he might cry. "Just going and disappearing like that! Worrying all of your friends. It was incredibly thoughtless of you, and… and…" He stammered, running out of forced anger. I traced my thumb along the back of his hand. "I'm really glad you're alright," he whispered, resting his forehead on mine. _He's totally in love with me._ I felt shamefully giddy. He pulled back and looked around awkwardly, not saying anything as his hands slid from my face.

I looked him over, noticing how unkempt he looked. "Let's sit," I gestured to the couch.

He awkwardly followed me as I dragged him, but didn't sit. "I'm… I just wanted to make sure, again, that you were okay. I…," he paused. "I'm at a loss here. When you vanished like that I felt like I should have been able to do more, but I couldn't, and I-," he let his body fall onto the couch next to me, leaning forward on his knees and scrunching his hair in his hands.

"Beck, it's not your fault. See? I'm fine," I held his hand up to my cheek.

He laughed, but it sounded forced. After a moment of looking my face over, he took his hands back and stared down at them. "I know it's late, but… do you want to talk? Just for a little while? I know you say you're okay, but I feel like I have to make sure."

"Um, now isn't really the best time," I hesitated.

He eyed me, suddenly looking panicked. "You're hurt!" he held my arm up. I was covered in cuts from the broken glass and being thrown into rocks. I hadn't noticed until he'd pointed it out, and most of the cuts on my hands were covered in mud. "I can help with that! I know a spell that'll remove the glass quite painlessly."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about this," I pulled a small piece out of my forearm, trying not to grimace, but sort of failing. I didn't like pain. "I'll just go to the nurse tomorrow."

He frowned. "But… I can help. I _have_ to help. Please, Sky." His eyes pleaded for me to say yes.

I sighed and gave him a soft smile. "Alright. If it'll keep you from looking this depressed."

He looked down at himself and tried to straighten his blazer, but it was a fruitless task. "I must look like a complete mess," he chuckled. "Bet it's pretty amusing, seeing the posh Beckett Harrington off his game."

I looked at him seriously. "You're a walking disaster, a complete and utter wreck."

"Gee, thanks," he looked put off.

"I mean it. Your look is in awful. Your hair is all over the place, and your blazer… is that a crease?" I pointed to his collar. He looked down sharply and tried to straighten himself out, but then laughed at himself when he realised I was joking. I bit my lip. "I'm honestly happy that you were so worried about me," I admitted, "considering how hard you tried to hate me."

"I don't hate you, Sky," his eyes shot back up to me, confused. "I'll admit that when I first heard about you, I was jealous. More so when I realised your formal training was quite lacking… I lashed out," he said sombrely. "I worked so hard to be the best, and it didn't matter. I thought with you attending, I'd have no chance of being top of the class."

"Beckett, I never meant for you to feel that way," I frowned and fidgeted with my fingers, scraping some of the dirt from my cuticles.

"Of course you didn't," he smiled weakly, taking my hands in his. "You… were my first friend here. You took me in when no-one else did. The thought of something happening to you," he paused and looked down, "when I could have stopped it…"

I cocked my head. "Could have stopped it? This was an unpredictable situation."

"Er, I… I've been practicing some advanced magic," he said, shifting uncomfortably. "There had to have been some spell, some part of my knowledge I could have used, but when it came down to it, I just stood there, weak!" he took his hands back and slammed his fist down on his knee.

"Oh, Beckett," I pulled him close to me, resting his head on my shoulder as I embraced him. "There's nothing wrong with freezing up. It happened so fast. You would have needed superhuman reflexes to have stopped it."

His breath was warm on my neck as his arms snaked around me. "How do you know I don't have them?" he asked. "I _am_ vastly superior to the majority of the world's population."

I grinned, twirling a strand of his hair around my finger. "There's the Beckett Harrington I know and love," I chuckled. He pulled back and stared at me, his eyes lighting up more than his pink cheeks. I knew what I said. "You can't put the blame all on yourself. We were all there and no-one else had any idea of what to do either."

He frowned and let out a sigh, taking his arms back. "Still… I said I'd help, so at least let me have a look at you," he glanced back down at my arm, which was now bleeding a bit from the shard I'd pulled out from my forearm a moment ago. I stood and did a slow twirl, posing for added effect. When I made a silly face, he narrowed his eyes at me. "I'm serious, Sky," he said sternly, standing with me to look me over.

I rolled my eyes playfully and did another, slower turn. "You see? I'm completely fine," I said before sitting back down. He grabbed my shoulders and spun me so my back faced him when he sat back down. When he poked at a piece of glass in the back of my neck, I winced. "Ow!"

"You are not 'fine', Skyler," he scolded. "Though, this does seem like the worst of it. Thank goodness," he told me. "Now, sit there and let me do this," he ordered. I sat completely still, watching him through the mirror on the wall in front of me. He hovered his hand above the glass and stared at it intensely. His palm started to glow, but nothing happened, and the magic seemed to fizzle out. "Shit! Just… give me a second," he swore. I'd never heard him so flustered. He tried again, but the magic only flickered like a florescent light on its way out. "Come on, Beckett, you worthless-," he mumbled.

"Beckett!" I spun around to scold him. "None of that!"

He gritted his teeth, growling slightly as his hands fell to his sides. "Sorry… I've… I've done this spell a million times. I just can't… it won't…," he stuttered angrily.

"Beckett, don't be so hard on yourself," I tried to calm him down, but his fists balled on his thighs. "You can do it. I know you can. Just… focus on me," I took his hands in mine and kissed his knuckles. "You know what you're doing. Stop trying so hard. You're stressing yourself out. Stop thinking about your own faults so much and think about _why_ you're doing this." _Think about how much you love me,_ I wanted to say…

"I'm sorry," he frowned. "I didn't mean to-"

I smiled. "Babe, you're doing it again." He blushed and a smile creeped across his face. "There you go," I grinned widely. "Just take a deep breath and try again."

He let out his breath. "Alright," he agreed, repositioning me away from him. He held his hand up again, shaking slightly, and his hand began to glow. It didn't faulter this time. "Now we're getting somewhere!" he beamed. The glass flew out of my neck and floated just below his palm. He ran his hand down my arms, picking up tiny pieces of glass I hadn't noticed. It didn't even hurt. I felt his fingertips grazing my skin more than any pain. "There," he said, letting the glass fall into a pile on the table. "You'll have to see the nurse tomorrow to get a salve for the cuts, but that takes care of the glass at least."

"Thanks, Dr. Harrington. Am I good as new?" I joked.

He smirked. "Not so fast, Mr. Dietz," he joked back. He stood and pulled me to my feet. He had me do another spin, this time tracing his eyes down every inch of my body, inspecting everything as his fingers and breath tickled my neck. He hummed. "No serious damage." He stood behind me, looking at my shoulder, then slid his hand gently down my spine. I shivered. _Oh, fuck me._

"Beck," I whined.

"What? Does it hurt?" he asked, alert and ready to be Mr. Fix It.

"Just the opposite," I rolled my head to the side to see him better in the mirror.

He caught my reflection's eyes. "Look's like there's a bit of a bruise right… here," his lips met the curve of my neck as his arms wrapped around my torso. I leaned back into him with a breathless whine. _Don't stop. Please, don't stop._ "Better?" he asked when he pulled away.

I tilted my head back to look up at him, resting against his shoulder. "I don't know. I seem to have a bruise right here, too," I pointed at my lips. Without another word, he leaned down to kiss me. One of my hands caressed his neck, holding him down so he couldn't pull away, while the other rested on top of the hand that held my chest firmly. I bit his lip lightly when he tried to stop.

"Sky," he moaned into me, trailing kisses back down my neck. "I l-," he started, but stopped just as quickly. He cleared his throat and backed up enough to spin me around in his arms.

When I could see him again, his face was burning red. I pressed myself against his chest, which wasn't hard because his arms were still pretty tight around me, and straightened his collar for him. "What about you? Feeling better?"

He closed his eyes and put his chin against my forehead. "Yeah," he said casually, guard completely down. "Yeah, I think so." His smile disappeared as he checked the bizarre clock on the mantel above the fireplace. "My word, it's late," he said suddenly, letting me go. "I'm such a dolt. You must be exhausted, and here I am complaining about my feelings," he tried to button his blazer with shaky fingers.

I pushed his hands out of the way and buttoned it for him, then straightened up his lapels. "It's completely okay," I smiled warmly and put my hands on his cheeks, fighting the urge to _unbutton_ the blazer and a few more layers. I had my own things to deal with that night. "After everything that's happened today, I'm not sure I would've been able to fall asleep anyway," I pulled my hands back and glanced over at the door, thinking about how impossible it seemed to sleep with a complete stranger, who was also my new found identical twin brother, in the room. "But you _could_ make it up to me if you want," I smirked when I looked back at him. "A goodnight kiss might make me sleep better."

"I don't ever need a reason to want to kiss you, Sky," he said softly, pulling me back into him. I bit my lip as his warm hand caressed my jaw, his thumb tracing circles on my cheek. I giggled and stood on my toes to kiss him. After a moment, his hand slid to the back of my head and he held me like he didn't want to let me go. "Sky." He was holding me so desperately, his hand slid under my sweater. It was hot on my back.

I moaned into him, sucking on his lip. I pulled hard on his shirt, wishing it wasn't there. When he pulled away, he chuckled warmly, sending vibrations through my body, which only turned me on more. "Great. I'll never sleep now," I bit my lip.

"After the day you've had, I'm sure you won't have any trouble," he kissed me softly on the lips, the cheek, and the tip of my nose. His lips met my forehead in a long, gentle kiss then he rested his own forehead against mine. After a moment of silence, with only the roar of the fire and my heart drumming in my ears, he looked away, his hands sliding slowly away from me. "I'll let you get your rest, but… I want to tell you that…," he looked around, eyes darting to the ceiling, the floor, the wall, and everywhere else but my face. He furrowed his eyebrows and his face went a bit pink. "I'm just… glad you're still here."

"Where would I go without you?" I beamed up at him, squeezing his hand in mine. He started toward the door, our hands lingering as long as possible before he _had_ to let go. "Goodnight, Beckett," I whispered.

"Goodnight, Sky," he smiled bashfully.

When he left, I went back to my room to deal with my new brother. He was sitting on the edge of my bed, his elbows on his knees in a thoughtful position.

He rolled his eyes at me when I approached him. "Don't get too attached. We won't be here long, and we don't know who we can trust," he said bluntly.

"Excuse me? They've been alright thus far… and what do you mean, we won't be here long?" I asked, confused.

"Your friends are a liability," he started. "They don't know about your history and they don't know who's coming after you."

"Why don't we just tell them, then?" I asked.

"Do you really think they'll want to be dragged into that?" he pursed his lips.

"I'm sure they-," I started.

"They'll what? Say it's fine? That they're behind you no matter what?" he snapped up at me. "Are you really willing to let them get involved? To let them _die_ for you?" I couldn't think of anything to say. I didn't want to cause them any more trouble than I'd already had, especially Beckett, but I was certain they'd go along with whatever I told them. They'd done so much for me already. "What if Raife has something they want, huh? What if the people you trust so much decide their happiness is better than your safety?" I was going to snap back at him, but his eyes betrayed his tone. He'd had experience with that sort of thing… I couldn't imagine being on the run for _years_ and not feeling I could trust anyone. He looked down at his hands. "Look, I, um… I know this is a lot to process. We've lived pretty different lives."

"You're telling me," I said, sinking onto the bed next to him. "This whole marked for death thing is a lot to take in. How are you so calm about all of this?"

"It's something I've always lived with. I'm sorry this is the way that you're finding out," he looked up at me for a moment, but quickly hung his head again. "It was pretty tough, growing up like this. The only thing that got me through it was knowing this was what our parents wanted."

"For us to live apart and in constant fear, danger, and depression?" I asked, a bit puzzled as to whether _our parents_ would have actually planned for all this nonsense.

He shook his head and looked up at me. "For us to _live_, Sky. To survive."

We sat in silence for a moment. I couldn't think of anything to say. We were so different. He grew up being prepared for an inevitable fight, and I was raised in a world without magic with no concept of danger other than crossing the road or learning to drive. _Did… did he get to _know_ our parents at all? Was I the only one pulled so far away from the family?_ When I finally thought of something to say, I asked about them. "So… _brother_," I started awkwardly. "The picture of you and our mom… where did you get it?"

"I found it in the wreckage of our childhood home," he said.

"Wreckage?" I figured our parents were probably dead from the bits and pieces I'd put together from our lives, but… that was a strong word…

He nodded. "The fire burned it all down, but no-one ever demolished the house. It's probably still standing to this day."

"A fire? So… our parents… they…," I tried to asked without being incredibly insensitive. He was clearly more broken up about it than I was, but I didn't even know that they'd cared until today.

He shrugged. "I didn't find any bodies. Trust me, I looked," a dark expression took over his face. "We should get some sleep. It's been a long day."

"Yeah," I agreed, flopping back on my bed. "Do you want the bed? I can sleep on the floor. How long has it been since you even slept in a bed?"

"I won't take your bed. The ground is more comfortable anyway," he pulled a black disk out of his pocket and shoved his arm into it, making me sit up to figure out how his void circle worked. He pulled out a sleeping bag and an old blanket that looked like it'd seen better days.

"That looks like it's been through hell and back," I pointed out as he set it on the floor.

"Hm? Oh, yeah," he picked it back up and stared down at it like it was the most precious thing in the world. "It's one of the only things I remember from when we were little. I found it at the house."

"You actually remember our parents?" I asked, desperate for information I'd never wondered about before.

"Not a lot, but some," he frowned. "It's kind of hard to think about sometimes." After a pause, he looked back up at me. "I could tell you what I do know, if you can handle it."

"I feel like I have to now," I said, thinking about everything. He held out the blanket for me. The material was frayed and burnt. "You said you found this?" I took the blanket from him and looked it over, hoping it was the key to a memory locked deep within my subconscious.

"Yeah," he began. "I must have been eight or nine at the time. I snuck out and went to see what was left of our parents' home," his face suddenly twisted into a snarl. "Raife had burned it to the ground."

"Wasn't it risky to go back there?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. If he had left any traps behind, I could have been caught, but it seems like he didn't think we'd be that stupid… And I was a kid, angry about his lot in life. I used to be a lot more reckless," his eyes narrowed, and I could feel his sorrow and anger in my soul. _Is this what they call twin empathy?_ "Picking through the burned out mess turned out to be a waste of time for the most part. That blanket and the photo were all I found worth keeping."

I bit my lip. "What… what was it like? I know it was burnt down, but…"

He let out a breath, getting up to sit next to me. "Kind of hard to tell, considering the damage, but it was spacious," he told me. "There was a swing set out back that was still intact. It makes me sad to think that they had been planning a future for us that they would never get to see," he frowned.

"So… our parents _are_ dead, then," I implied, wondering if my assumptions were true.

He shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but it certainly looks that way," he leaned back on his hands. "My caretakers said they fell out of contact just after we had been separated."

"I wonder…," I paused, thinking that maybe I shouldn't say it aloud. It seemed like a sorer subject for him. He looked at me, seeming to give me the okay. "I wonder in what ways we're similar to them."

He looked up in thought. "My caretakers always used to tell me when I'd do something that reminded them of Mom and Dad. It made me feel like I actually knew them," he let a small smile grace his stern face. "I clearly got Mom's magical aptitude and problem solving. That gene must have skipped you."

I shoved him off of my bed and onto the floor. "Problem solved," I joked, smirking down at him as he glared back at me. He rolled his eyes and made himself comfortable on the ground. "Tell me more," I begged.

"Dad was apparently good looking, which you seem to have inherited," he said as he unrolled his sleeping bag.

"Calling me good looking… You know you're, like, identical to me almost? Isn't that more of a self-compliment?" I joked.

He raised his brow. "We aren't exactly identical. And you definitely care more about your appearance than I do."

_Well, that's true, but…_ "That seems like an insult coming from you," I pursed my lips.

"And you definitely got Mom's optimism," he continued. "My caretakers said she never lost hope that we'd all get through this and be a family again."

I frowned, suddenly feeling a pull at my heart. "Well, I guess she was halfway there. _We_ made it back together." I looked down at the blanket in my hands. "You said you remembered this. How?"

He busied himself with laying out his bag and pressing the creases out. Then he sat on it and looked up at me. "I've been training for a long time," he said. "One of my gifts is the ability to _feel_ things. Sun-Atts have their prescience, and we Moon-Atts have the ability to sense moods and emotions." He reached forward and rubbed a corner of the old blanket between his fingers. "As soon as I picked this up, I felt their love and the comfort of them swaddling me in this… I felt the warmth of being in the crib next to you. When I touch this, I feel… safe."

"Atlas," I stared down at him. "Now that I know about you, there's no way in hell I would let you face any of this alone. Whatever happens, I'm not going anywhere."

He didn't say anything for a while. We kept eye contact long enough for me to see that he was on the fence about whether that statement was true or not. After a moment more, he laid down on his sleeping bag, his hands behind his head. "You can keep that. I think I've had it long enough. Maybe you can use your prescience to feel a little closer to them."

I decided to try it, holding the blanket close to my chest and closing my eyes. After the white flash, I couldn't see anything really, but I could hear a woman's voice. It was soft as she hummed. When she finally spoke, she said, "The two of you will never know how precious you really are…" My eyes shot open, expecting to find her standing right in front of me. I'd never felt such warmth in my life. I looked back down at my brother, who was watching me intensely.

"Thanks for telling me all of this," I said, a bit of uneasiness in my tone.

He shrugged. "They're your parents, too. You deserve to know."

"I have a question," I announced. When he looked up at me, I asked, "Why do you call me Sky?"

He let out a short sigh. "That's your name," he said bluntly.

"But we haven't known each other that long, so why are you already calling me by my nickname?" I rephrased.

He stared blankly up at me. "Your name is Sky. It's the name you were born with. The Dietz's changed it, probably to keep you safe."

My eyes went wide. "Really?" That explained why I always liked being called Sky more than Skyler. It seemed so formal.

"Do you not want me to call you that?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No, it's fine. I was just curious…" My thoughts wondered a bit after that and we sat in silence for a while. Eventually, I smiled at a few warmer thoughts. "Is this what having a brother is like?" I stared down at him, still not used to the fact that he had my face. It was a weird sensation. "I mean, I was expecting more biting and hair pulling, but I'd say this has gone well so far. I've heard horror stories from my friends."

"I suppose I could punch you in the face if that's what you'd like," he raised his brow at me.

I chortled. "Touch me and I'll punch the eyebrows off your face," I joked. When he rolled his eyes, I got serious. "I actually enjoy this heart-to-heart stuff, mind," I folded the blanket and set it on the top of the desk.

"Hopefully not too much. I don't think I could stomach doing this every day," he scoffed and laid down with his arms folded behind his head.

"Give it time," I smirked. He rolled his eyes again and we were silent for a bit. I was about to turn off the light and settle into bed when his eyes shot open.

"There's… one other thing," he started hesitantly.

I sat up and looked down at him again. "If you're about to say that you're taller than me, I know already and you don't have to rub it in," I pursed my lips to keep from laughing.

"Can't you take anything seriously, Sky?" he sat up and narrowed his eyes at me.

"What fun would that be?" I shrugged.

He let out a breath. "Look, when I was trapped in the mirror dimension, someone else kept coming in and out," he said. "I could never get to the open portal in time to escape."

"Who was it?" I leaned forward on my knees. "Maybe they were helping Highmore."

He nodded. "That's what I've been thinking, too. I never got close enough to make them out, but there was one thing I saw clearly," he reached out for my hand, grabbing my wrist and holding it up to show me Shreya's bracelet. "Only your friends have these, right?"

I furrowed my brows at him, not liking where he was going with this. "Yeah, but what's that got to do with any of this?"

"Whoever's been traipsing through around the mirror dimension was wearing one just like it," his eyes were cold looking up at me.

My gut twisted. "My friends would never work with Raife Highmore," I said firmly, but my mind was already circling around trying to figure out who it could have been.

"I know what I saw," he frowned, pulling away from me. "I'm not saying anyone's working with that monster, just that I saw them there. They're not being truthful, and if they're keeping this from you, what else could they be hiding?"

I looked over to the wall, the silence lingering like a dense and ominous fog. "So… what you mean is…"

"It seems as though one of your friends isn't as trustworthy as you think."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Secrets and More Secrets

"Hold up a minute," I held one hand up to pause the conversation my brother and I were having and pressed the other lightly to my forehead. "If you were close enough to see the bracelet, you're telling me you didn't see who it was? No skin tone, body shape, clothing, nothing?"

"They were already through the mirror when I got there! I only saw a wrist once!" he defended. "Not like I was running for my life in a backwards world or anything. I'm sorry I didn't take a notepad out and sketch the person," he retorted. "Whoever it was is either keeping it a secret from you for some reason or they're working with Raife. My money's on the latter."

I let out a heavy, saddened sigh. "Seriously… I suppose it's a possibility. It wouldn't be the craziest thing to happen this year," I covered my eyes with my hand and leaned on my knees.

"Good. I'm glad you see reason."

"But-," I looked up at him and narrowed my eyes firmly, "I plan on giving them the benefit of the doubt. I find it hard to believe that one of them could be even the slightest bit cold-hearted."

"Just think about it," he tried to reason. "All the times you've been attacked, were any of your friends around?"

I rolled my eyes. "No duh, Atlas. They've been around me since I _got_ here. That's what _friends_ do; they hang around with you and are involved in your life. Of course they're more likely to be there when I'm attacked because they were already there anyway."

"What I'm saying, Sky, is that one of them could have been _involved_ in the attacks," he fired back at me.

"I get that, but one of them were around when you grabbed at my leg in the Thief game," I pursed my lips at him, trying to make a point that not everything was as it seemed and how jumping to conclusions would be rash and unhelpful.

He let out an irritated sigh. "Get over that already. I already told you what that was about."

"What _I'm_ saying is, don't just jump to convicting them. I have no reason to believe they'd be sneaking around behind me," I started. "I'm not saying they _aren't_ either, just that we _don't know_ and making assumptions isn't going to help at all."

He groaned and grabbed at the back of his neck the same way I do when I'm frustrated. "You can't possibly be this dense! Someone with _your bracelet_ was in the mirror dimension while _I_ was trapped there and just before _you_ got sucked in!"

"That is suspicious, but I'm not going be rash about it and accuse them when I don't know anything," I snapped back. "Innocent until _proven_ guilty, alright? For all we know, there could be a completely different reason for one of them being in there."

"Until we've figured out what's going on, you have to assume the worst-case scenario and keep an eye on your friends," he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose and trying to calm himself down.

I huffed. "Fine, but how exactly do we plan to figure it out?"

"We go back to the Hall of Mirrors," he said bluntly.

"We were just there, and we didn't find anything," I took a few deep breaths to calm myself.

"That's because we didn't go inside," he looked up at me, his eyes a bit gentler now. "We still need to find out why you were able to get into the mirror dimension in the first place. The key must be the mirror you fell through. Magic always leaves traces, and I'm sure that room has the answers we're looking for." I nodded, agreeing to the plan. "In the meantime, you need to figure out which of your friends can't be trusted."

"I'm 99% certain they aren't behind this, but okay," I agreed.

"What about the 1%?" he asked.

"They've been with me through a cornucopia of madness since I've been here," I said confidently, not really answering the question.

"That should have been your first sign that something was up," he raised his eyebrow. "Normally, people would run for the hills the moment they knew there was danger."

I stared down at him in disbelief. "Have you never had friends?"

"No. I don't need people getting in the way and messing up my life," he replied bluntly. "They've only stuck around because they're out to get you, which is why we need to find out what they were doing in the mirror dimension."

I blinked a few times blankly. "Oh, Atlas. I feel sorry for you. I know you don't think they're any good, but let me prove that having people to lean on is better than being alone." He didn't say anything after that. He laid back down on his sleeping bag and put his back to me. I switched off the light and crawled into my own covers. After a stale silence, I felt a bit bad. "Atlas," I whispered in the dark room.

"Get some rest, Sky," his sharp tone had softened a bit. "You'll need all your energy for the days to come."

"Right…"

The next morning was a bit of a drag. Atlas was already gone when I woke up. He'd left a note saying that he'd be out for a while and would come back later, but I felt a bit bad about arguing the night prior. I mean, I had a brother! That was the coolest news. I almost thought it was a dream until I saw his rolled up sleeping bag in my closet and the note on the desk. The part that really hit me… If my brother was real, that meant the threat was, too, and my friends were under a magnifying glass until further notice. I got dressed and headed straight for class. I didn't feel much like eating that morning.

I sulked down to the greenhouse just in time for Natural Studies and slid onto the stool next to Shreya. Kontos was fumbling with a large plant in the middle of the classroom and was about to start the lesson.

"Good morning, class," he beamed. "Today, we're continuing our lessons on plants by reviewing a very special one, felifem," he gestured to the plant next to him. "As you'll recall, we planted these a few weeks ago, and now the leaves are ready for harvest." He held up one of the large, almost elephant ear sized leaves with veins of gold running up the stem and to the ends of the foliage.

"I've had that before," Shreya whispered. "Patissiere Riso uses it in all of her cakes," she grinned widely.

"What does it do?" I asked lowly, but I guess not low enough. Kontos cleared his throat and stared across at us. "Sorry, Professor," I mouthed, sinking in my seat.

"Felifem is well-known for its ability to influence thoughts and emotions," he explained. "In particular, when consumed, it has mood-boosting properties."

"So, it's like a drug?" I mostly asked myself aloud.

"It's generally used as a stress reliever," Kontos grinned knowingly at me. "It gives you energy and brightens your day, however, an overdose causes individuals to experience extreme euphoria. It's been known to completely consume them."

"So… it's like a drug," I confirmed internally. "You've eaten that stuff?" I turned to Shreya.

"Only in small doses," she winked.

Kontos walked around the room, setting a smaller potted version of the felifem on each desk. "In order to safely harvest felifem, you must stroke the stems before you gently pluck the leaves off. If you rip off the leaves, you pose risk of releasing spores, which can give you a nasty case of the giggles," he explained, showing more sympathy for the plant than enjoyment of the symptoms. "Well now. Get to work. I'll be coming by each of your tables to check on your progress and answer any questions you may have."

Shreya and I focused on our plant, which smelt like honey. I put my fingers to the stem and stroked the plant gently. The leaves drooped in a relaxed state, letting the veins shimmer in the morning sunlight. Shreya and I gingerly plucked the leaves off of the plant. I don't know if she felt it, too, but the act of handling that plant made me stop worrying about everything else that was going on. I had true peace of mind for the first time in weeks.

"Excellent work, you two. I see you were paying attention," Kontos smiled as he approached out table.

"This is oddly therapeutic," I smiled back.

"One of the plant's other abilities," he said, giving the plant a warm look. "If you're kind to felifem, it gives off soothing energy. I keep one in every room of my house." _That explains why he smiles so much_. He went off to inspect the other students, leaving Shreya and I to chat while we picked the rest of the leaves.

Shreya was unusually quiet. I glanced over at her and was alarmed to see her smuggling a few of the leaves into her bag. _What are you doing?_ I watched her out of the corner of my eye for a minute. She looked around, noting where the professor was, then stuffed another few leaves into her purse. _Why are you doing that?_ Maybe it was because of the conversation with Atlas, but every small inconsistency in her behaviour suddenly triggered fear and anxiety in me.

"Everything okay, Sky?" she asked sweetly. "You look pale. Is the plant giving you trouble?"

I shook my head subtly. "No, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

The rest of class was about the same as always, but as soon as the bell rang, Shreya jumped up. "I've got, uh, stuff to do, so… I'll see you later," she blurted awkwardly before swiftly exiting the greenhouse. _Don't do that, Shreya_… I found myself worrying about every little thing.

I grabbed my own bag and left shortly after her. I was relieved when I saw Beckett crouched over in the grass digging for something. I knew he was a science geek, but seeing him in his element really was cute.

"Just hold still!" he grunted, staring intently at whatever it was he was trying to get at.

I stepped up behind him, looking over his shoulder. "Did you drop something? Your supplemental reading? Or your glasses?"

"Don't be absurd. I don't need nor wear glasses," he huffed, not taking his eyes off of what he was doing.

"Then what _are_ you doing?" I squatted next to him and watched him fiddle with a plant growing up the side of the stone bench.

"I'm collecting spores from the fern known as Kelvin's claw," he said, still not looking up at me. "It's for Natural Studies. If I collect the requisite samples for a particular potion, I get extra credit."

It felt good to laugh after all the worrying I was doing. "Extra credit. That explains everything," I snorted.

"Do you mind holding this frond for me while I scrape the underside? I'm having a hard time managing both tasks," he held the fern's leaves out for me to hold. I pinched it between my fingers, staring at the crease in his brow, and held it steady while he gently scraped the spores into a glass container. He was so adorable. "There we go. Having your assistance proved quite useful just now," he grinned at the container as he sealed the spores within it.

"You know me, always up for saving a gentleman in distress," I grinned.

"Actually, would you like to join me in collecting the rest of the ingredients?" he finally looked up at me. "I'll be sure to tell Professor Kontos that you helped. I'm certain that would impress him."

I stared at him, his eyes glittering in excitement. "Is this invitation because you want me around or because you need me to hold things?" I teased.

"The task will require adventuring around campus and perhaps a little bit of death-defying acrobatics to get what we need," his eyes widened ever so slightly.

"Okay, so you just need me for my manual labour," I clarified.

He looked down at the spores, a shy smile inching across his face. "I… I would like to spend more time with you as well."

"Would you now?" I smirked as I stood and straightened out my shirt.

"The results will be worth it," he stood as well, still pink and fidgety. "I could even give you a preview of the potion. It's sure to be a marvellous sight to behold."

I smirked. "I suppose I don't have anything better to do," I teased. "Lead the way."

He grinned, but it faltered for a moment. "Sky, I-," he started, but shook the thought away. I cocked my head at him, but he just turned on his heel and pretended like nothing happened. "Follow me."

"Okay," I skipped to catch up with him and looped my arm in his, smiling widely even with an odd feeling in my gut.

He led me to one of the flower fields on the edge of campus, lined by tall and thick trees.

"I'm looking for a flower colloquially known as the 'Sandman's Sneeze'," he said after avoiding my eye contact the entire walk. "It's the same genus as the Dreamshade, which you'll recall is used in the daydream potion, and looks almost identical."

"Yeah, Beck, I know what dreamshade is," I rolled my eyes. "I've made that potion a few times now." I looked over at him, watching as he stared at the dirt awkwardly. "What is all of this for, anyway?" I asked as I scanned the field for a golden, 5-leaved flower.

"The golden hour potion," he said. "It casts the illusion of evening light on everything in an 800-meter radius."

"Nifty. You get extra credit for doing this?" I asked. "Don't you already have a better than perfect grade?"

"Perfection is a limiting ideal," he knelt down to look at the flowers by his feet. They weren't the one he was looking for, but he was fascinated by them anyway. "I want to go above and beyond that."

"Extra credit on top of extra credit. You're such an overachiever."

"Well, when you put it that way, it sounds excessive," he agreed, standing to walk to another patch of yellow flowers. "As I thought. We have Lumie Catchers, Sandman's Sneeze, and for some reason unbeknownst to me, a lot of radish."

I shook my head in disbelief. "We just got here and you've already spotted all that?"

"I did a quick survey of the area. Not to brag, but my observational skills are one of my strengths," he held his nose high. _Then use some of those skills in real life._ "For example," he began, "I've noticed that when you're happy, your eyes light up in a certain way-," he blushed aggressively and looked away again. "Not that I've been paying any particular attention to you when you smile! I merely noticed because, er…"

"Because?" I asked, squatting next to him, my face only about a foot away from his.

His flustered face was _so_ cute. When he finally spoke, it was completely rushed. "Because it makes me happy when you're happy," he mumbled, biting his cheek and glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

I cocked my head playfully. "I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't quite hear you," I teased, cupping a hand to my ear.

He looked away again, clearing his throat. "Moving on. I see a few other plants that I need. Can I entrust the collection of the Sandman's sneeze to you?"

"Aye, aye, Captain," I said with a wink, turning to scan the field again. I spotted a few golden flowers scattered in with the yellow ones, but they stood out. I picked a few of them and turned around, holding up the bouquet. "Is this enough?" I asked when I saw him coming back my way.

"Just about," he nodded, looking only at the flower. "It seems, with me guiding, we make quite a capable team." I snorted, but he seemed unfazed. He took one of the golden flowers from my hand and held it up to the light. "Nature has a way of delivering the most divine creations," he said, looking stoic. "Flowers, animals…," his eye caught mine, "people."

I snorted. "Beckett Harrington, was that a line?"

He froze. "Depends. Did it work?"

"Hmm…," I hummed. I smirked and took a step towards him, staring at his chest as I straightened his collar. His neck flushed as my eyes trailed up to his face. I reached up and took the flower from his hand then stepped back, threading the stem behind my ear. "The next few samples are on campus, right?" I beamed, skipping off ahead of him. When I peeked back over my shoulder, he was just staring at me.

After he stumbled to catch up to me, we made our way back to the campus and I followed Beckett to the end of the bridge running over the lake I'd arrived in. As we walked toward the center of the bridge, he stopped a few times to trim bits of the vines that grew up the columns. He started going on and on about Penderghast's history and the architecture. I enjoyed seeing him livelier than he had been the day prior.

"Imagine this: Those flaming braziers all over campus? They were once _columns of flame_!" he raved excitedly.

"As awesome as that sounds, wouldn't that be a bit hazardous?" I reasoned.

"Essentially," he shrugged, rubbing the tip of a vine's leaf between his fingers gently. "It was said that the flames were the Flames of Truth. Those touched by it would speak only prophecies until their dying breath," he paused and looked out over the bridge. "Which came soon after, because even magical fire tends to be fatal."

I stared blankly at him. "This place baffles me more and more every day." I shook my head, kicking my thoughts out for a while. "What about that building there?" I pointed to a stone building that looked older than the rest of the 18th century European builds nearby.

"That is the laboratory where renowned Metal-Att professor Tianbao Yin pioneered the practice of alloy magic," he beamed. "Fun fact: Professor Yin became a werewolf in his later life."

"Werewolves are real?" my eyes went wide. "Maybe lead with that next time."

"I assure you, his research was far more interesting than what he became during the full moon," he gasped at my lack of understanding.

"Maybe to you," I laughed. "I'd love to meet a werewolf, if the chance arose." He huffed and turned towards the rail at the center of the bridge. He looked like he was about to flip himself off the side. "Beckett!" I reached forward to grab his blazer as his feet came off the ground.

"The final sample I need is down here," he called up to me, seemingly unaware of how precariously balanced he was. "It's a type of lichen that grows on the side of the bridge around the midpoint."

"How do you know if there's any down there currently?" I asked as I tried to push his feet back down to force him back up. His head had been completely upside-down, and he'd let go of the railing to inspect the underbridge. I didn't want to be responsible for his own stupidity.

He straightened his blazer. "This particular cultivar grows exclusively around mermaid habitations, so I'm guessing that it-"

"_Mermaids?!_" I looked around wildly.

"You didn't know? There's a colony of them in the lake."

I shook my head. "No, I've been in the lake and I have yet to see one."

He rolled his eyes. "Well, they tend to keep to themselves and stay out of sight, usually. Your path would not have crossed theirs."

"Wait, wait. Have you met a mermaid?" I asked, still a bit shocked that both werewolves _and_ mermaids were a thing.

He nodded. "I made it a point to introduce myself to the local mer-folk when I first arrived at Penderghast. And, of course, I've met a few ambassadors at ocean galas."

"Are they as beautiful as I've heard?" I stared wide-eyed at him like he was my hero. "Please say yes."

"Er, yes. They are quite beautiful," he answered hesitantly. "Though, they tend to be suspicious of strangers, and for good reason, given mankind's predilection for exploitation. You must earn their trust."

"Wow," I beamed up at him. He rolled his eyes at me, but a smile pulled at his cheeks. "You learn something new every day."

"I would hope that you learn _several_ somethings every day," his eyes pinned mine like he was telling me I don't cram enough. With Beck and Atlas, who needs enemies…

I rolled my eyes. "I _guess_ it's kinda cute, how into all this history trivia you are."

He scoffed, but his cheeks burned before he cleared his throat. "Back to business, shall we? I'll lower you down and you can scrape the lichen off. It should be easy."

I raised my hand to stop him, shaking my head. "Hold up, who says _I'm_ the one hanging off the bridge?" I questioned. "It's not like I'm this gorgeous when I wake up, you know. Being upside-down is _not_ good for my look."

"Don't worry," a smile played at his lips. "I won't drop you in the lake, I promise."

I shook my head with wide eyes. "You had better not." After arguing about it a bit more, I ended up with my feet in the air. Beckett's arms were around my knees, holding me over the rail. "I swear to god, Beckett Harrington, if you drop me..."

"Don't worry," he repeated. "I've got you securely. Now, the lichen should be gold in colour. Find it and scrape it into that bag." I mumbled some unsavoury words, huffing most of them, and began to scrape the specimen from the bridge into his satchel. I looked up at him for a moment, noticing his shoulders bulking out just a bit, and bit my lip. _Maybe this wasn't _so_ bad._

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Enjoying the view," I said before continuing. I felt his arms tighten around my legs, his hands now on my thighs instead of my calves.

"Beck, are you looking at my ass?"

"What?" he fumbled, his hands slipping back to my knees, which in turn made me slip farther down.

My flirting immediately turned to panic. "Beckett, I swear if you drop me-"

"Yes, yes. Just… make haste, if you would," he said, his words strained.

I sighed heavily and quickly, but gently, got a few more pieces. "I think I've got enough!" I called back up to him. I heard him let out a sigh of relief before he pulled me back up. I threw the satchel back onto the bridge, but before I could get my hand around the rail, his grip loosened briefly. I squealed as I slipped, only a few inches, mind you, but enough to cause my heart to panic. "Beck!" I shouted anxiously, staring down at the water, my head spinning.

"Sorry!" he managed to pull me up far enough for me to get leverage and push myself back onto the bridge. His arms wrapped around me, holding me close to secure me. "Are you alright?"

I buried my face in his chest, my heart still racing, and slammed my fist against his bicep. "No, damnit," I whined. When my breath was under control, I glared up at him. "What part of 'don't drop me'…" His hand brushed through my hair and his lips met mine. I didn't want to at the time, but my body instinctively melted into his. I hit him one more time, but it was weak and pathetic as my mouth was ravaged by this handsome devil. When he pulled back, I bit my lip. "You jerk," I mumbled, letting my forehead crash into his collar.

"I would promise to not let you go, but I did already promise you a preview," he said nonchalantly. He was about to let go, but I pulled him back, gripping his lapels tightly. My legs were about to give out. I was still panicking a bit. I _hate_ falling. Luckily, he noticed and used this foot to drag the bag back over to us and lift the strap to his hand. He pulled out small pieces of each ingredient and let the bag fall back to the ground before crushing them in his hand.

A bright light got me to open my eyes and look up at the beam of light shooting up from his now open palm. "Woah…"

"It's just a slapdash, low-grade version of the golden hour potion," he explained. "We'll need a cauldron for the real deal, but…" The light turned orange, like a beautiful sunset at noon. The bridge wood began to glow in the evening light and the water rippled colour beneath us.

"Beautiful…" I couldn't gather my thoughts. Magic was so cool. The more comfortable I got, the less his arm was required to keep me standing.

"That's why I took on this project, you see," Beckett grinned widely. "Aside from the extra credit, I'd read about the golden hour potion before and wanted to see its effects." We sat down on the edge of the bridge, his arm still around my waist, and looked out over the water towards the school. I let my feet dangle over the sunset coloured water as he told me more about the potion, growing more animated by the second. When the light began to fade, it looked like actual dusk, even though it was still high noon.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Beckett," I said, leaning into him.

"What… what do you mean?" he asked, completely thrown off.

"So much for your observational skills," I joked. "You've been stressed since yesterday. You were more shaken up than I'd thought you'd be. I don't know what's been going on with you, but…"

He put his hands in his lap and pushed his thumbs together nervously. "Thank you, but I'm fine. It's nothing you should be concerned about."

"Alrighty then," I said simply, looking back to the water.

"Wait, you're going to drop it? Just like that?" his eyes went wide. He knew I wasn't one to let things slide easily.

I rolled my eyes. "See, I knew it was something. Just tell me," I elbowed him.

He pulled his arm from around me and stared down at his hands. "I… you see… I've… made mistakes. Terrible ones… and sometimes it's hard to move on from them."

"Depends on the mistake. This isn't about a 99 out of 100 on a test, is it?" I leaned back on my hands to watch his face.

He chortled silently. "I take my grades quite seriously, but no, it's not that." I let a moment of silence go by, wondering if he'd say more, but more never came. His hands balled into fists and I noticed his jaw square.

"I suppose you don't have to talk about it, but just so you know, whatever it is, you'll survive it," I looked up at the sky. "Maybe it feels like the end of the world, but it isn't, trust me. The world's going keep spinning, and you're going have to go along for the ride regardless. You'll get through to the other side at some point."

"Perhaps…"

"No 'perhaps'. You will," I reassured him. "Give it time. You'll make things right in your own Beckett-ish way. Until then, I'm there with you, whatever it is."

"I hope you're right," he frowned and glanced at me when he thought I wasn't looking. After another silence, he turned to me, looking more relaxed. "I haven't thanked you for your help today."

"Don't worry about it. I had a good time. It got my mind off of some things," I tried to keep my mind off of those things, but now that I'd thought about it, they were starting to come back. It made me worry a bit more about what mistake he might've done. The afternoon sun beat down on us, but the lake breeze was enough to cool me down. I tried to think about that instead.

"No, I said I'd make it up to you, and I will," he seemed determined.

"Well…," I smirked, adjusting myself to sit right in front of him. I looped my finger over the top button of his shirt and pulled him forward to meet me in the middle. I gave him a quick peck on the lips. "_This_ is all I need from you. Keep doing this and all is forgiven," I grinned, staring at his lips.

"Understood," he finally smiled. He grabbed my wrists and pulled me forward to sit on his lap, which I did happily, then wrapped his arms around my back. Our lips met in a heated passion, his hand already untucking the back of my shirt. I pushed him back against one of the rail posts. "Sky," he mumbled happily.

"How much are my eyes lighting up now?" I asked, pulling back enough to stare into his silvery-blue eyes. I could get lost in them so quickly…

"You're radiant," he said, just as lost. I kissed him again.

After a few more minutes of assaulting each other's mouths, he pulled away and looked over at his satchel. "We should-"

I shook my head, brushing my lips against his. "Don't say it," I scolded, pressing my lips to his chin.

He sighed. "I don't want to, but I should really get these samples back to the greenhouse to store them properly."

I pursed my lips. "Choosing extra credit over me… I should be more offended… but I'm not," I sighed, pulling myself off of him reluctantly.

He caressed my cheek, kissing me one last time before we stood to go back. Just as we took a final step off the bridge and onto the path, I heard a splash behind me. I whirled around just in time to see a fin hit the water.

About an hour later, we'd parted ways. Beckett had gone to his next class, but I had a break for lunch, so I went to see Atlas with something to eat. He was on my bed, leaning against the wall.

"There you are. You've been gone for hours. What took you so long?" he sat up. I dropped my bag by the desk and sat next to him, extending a paper sack out to him. "What's this?" he asked, eyeing the bag suspiciously.

"Sustenance," I said simply, biting into my own lunch. "I _do_ still have classes to attend," I spoke between bites. "And the normal thing to do would be to ask me how my day was, brother."

"Why would I do that?" he asked as he pulled out the lunch I'd snagged for him. It was the closest thing I could find to a burger.

"Because that's what family does. We check in on each other to make sure everything's alright," I peeked over at him. "Speaking of, how was your day?"

"Hard pass," he said, tentatively pulling pieces out of the concoction to eat separately.

"You really stink at this brother thing, you know," I informed him.

He rolled his eyes. "If I have to share my feelings all the time, hard pass," he repeated. "What did you find out during your classes?"

I frowned and put my dragon link down for a moment. "Shreya was acting strange. She stole some magical leaves during class and then ran off somewhere," I told him, feeling the same anxiety I had felt when I'd first witnessed the act. "And Beckett was acting strange, too, like something was bothering him, but he wouldn't tell me."

"Which one of them do you think it is?" he asked accusingly.

"I don't think either of them are guilty of anything major just yet," I tried to take another bite, but my appetite was suddenly gone again. "I just need to find out more before I make assumptions."

He nodded, I suppose not wanting to start anything like last night. "Then we should focus one the Hall of Mirrors. I finally got what we need to break in."

"You're not invisible anymore. How do you suppose we get there without getting caught?" I asked. "That part of the school is so sectioned off that they cancelled classes in that building today."

"The supplies I got will help us investigate the Hall of Mirrors once we're inside, but… maybe it'd be best if I do this alone," he avoided my eyes.

"That's crap and you know it," I knew he wasn't serious. "If you wanted to do this all by yourself, you would have just gone already. You bothered to tell me about it now, so I'm going with you."

"You haven't been trained at all," he objected calmly, not telling me I was wrong.

"Then train me on the way," I retorted.

He sighed. "What do you think our biggest threat is?"

"My sentry," I answered quickly. "It can record what we do and say, so if we aren't careful to avoid it, any of the professors could find out that we broke in."

His nodded, a bit impressed. "An astute observation. The sentry is definitely going to cause trouble for us." He crossed his arms and watched me, looking for any faltering in my will. "Alright, fine. You can come."

I beamed. "You won't regret it."

"Well, you did a pretty good job last night getting me back here, so you're on the right track," he _may_ have smiled, but his face was always so sour that it was hard to tell, "but it wouldn't hurt to take some extra precautions. Do you have a disguise of some kind or a magical enchantment?"

I smirked. "I don't, but I know where to get one. If Aster sees me coming, she'll have something ready by the time I get there."

He raised an eyebrow. "Good. Go find something useful, and be sure to be back here by dark or-"

"You'll go without me, yeah, yeah," I mocked. "I'll be back in a bit." I hopped off the bed and left my room only to turn around and use the same door to get to Penn Square.

The bell on the door let out a sweet sound as I entered the shop. Aster was already waiting patiently behind the counter.

"Let me guess, you saw me coming?" I smiled.

"Naturally," she grinned back, "and I've already picked out the perfect outfit for your break-in tonight!" She squealed with excitement.

I narrowed my eyes with a smile. "You know, you can't let anyone else know about my break in, alright? That would defeat the purpose of sneaking around."

She stepped out from behind the counter. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." She led me over to the clothing racks in the front of the store and pulled out a leather jacket. "The cloth itself is enchanted to make you difficult to see, so it should be perfect for sneaking around," she said as she pushed it to my chest. "And the shoes have a special enchantment on them that make you walk in total silence!" she knelt down under the rack and pulled out a pair of leather boots.

"Aster, you're amazing!" I stared down at the clothes she'd thrown my way.

"Well, go on then. Try it on! My leaves are positively shaking in anticipation!" she giggled.

I ran into the changing room. When I stepped out, I did a cool little spin. "How do I look? Like a secret agent, don't you think?" I stared down at myself. Leather biker jacket, leather pants, leather boots, and a grey acid-washed tee shirt. I looked like a punk on my way to a concert. Not my usual style, but it was fun. I felt like an actor.

"You look fantastic!" she clapped happily. "And with the enchantment, you'll blend right into the shadows. How are the shoes? Is everything working properly?"

I jumped a few times, but I didn't make a single sound as I hit the ground. "So cool."

"I'm really glad you stopped by," she smiled sweetly, but within seconds her eyes glossed over.

"Aster?" I asked, knowing what was happening. I took a step toward her and hovered my hands near her shoulders, just in case she fell over like last time.

"The earth is sick," she said in monotone. "Its darkness leaches into our roots. It runs in our veins, poisoning us. His power grows stronger every day. How far will he spread this disease? How many of us shall fall before he is satisfied?" Her voice began to strain like she was in pain, but her face remained still and detached. "Time is passing, faster now. We rush toward an ending, into the unknown." I stared into her eyes, trying to get a grasp around what she was saying. What could she have seen that would warrant such dark words? Her hand reached up as fast as lightning and gripped my wrist. "Beware the mischievous hour!" she shouted, her features contorting in desperation. "Beware…" As she said the last word, the force running through her began to leave. As quickly as it had taken her, it had sapped all of her energy and disappeared. She groaned as she slumped forward. I caught her in my arms and moved her to the bench to sit down. Her head fell lifelessly against my forearm, but she let out a heavy sigh, letting me know she was going to be alright. Her branching scared me, not because of her power or how she looked, but because of what it did to her and what could happen when she had these attacks alone. "I'm sorry, Skyler," her voice was low and hoarse. "I don't know what's going on with me lately."

"No need to apologise, Aster. Are you okay?" I asked, kneeling in front of her to look her over.

She smiled weakly at me. "Not really… but I appreciate your concern." She wrapped her hands around both of my arms, trying to pull herself up, but her strength was gone, and she slumped back to the floor. "There… must be something big looming on the horizon. That would be the only reason I'm branching so much of late."

"Aster, I know you don't always understand your branching, but do you know what you meant by 'the mischievous hour'?" I asked, trying not to push her, but needing to understand… at least to help her out… but her visions had helped me in the past already.

"Oh," she furrowed her brows and rubbed her temple, "I must have been talking about midnight. You know, when it's almost impossible to do magic."

"Impossible?" I thought about the party in the woods where the students were showing off left and right. "I've seen magic done late at night before."

She nodded briefly. "It's only hard to do magic for about a minute. Most people don't even notice it happening. Magic acts strangely when you try to cast at midnight."

"So it can blow up in your face," I deduced. "Has anyone successfully used proper magic then?" I asked.

She sat up, pushing herself away from my arm and turning towards me slowly. "I've never seen it, personally, but then again, there's a lot I haven't seen. It's not so much that one _cannot_ do it, just that the results are too unpredictable. It's impossible to cast intentionally." She bit her lip slightly and held her thumb to the corner of her mouth. "Perhaps someone with strong magic could do it, but they'd have to be _very_ strong."

I thought of my conversations with Atlas and the few things I'd learned from Swan and the book I'd taken from the library. Raife Highmore was most likely strong enough to cast during the void minute. No doubt he'd be the one behind anything bizarre or dangerous happening around the magic community. If Aster was seeing through the trees, maybe they were watching him set the whole thing up.

She sighed and pushed herself from the bench, a bit of life restored to her pale face and leaves. As she stood straight, her legs wobbled, forcing me to jump to my feet to catch her, if need be. She held up her hand and smiled curtly. "I'd better get back to work. The shop isn't going to organise itself."

"Are you sure you're feeling well enough for that?" I inquired, still hovering around her as she started back towards the front of the shop. "I don't want you to push yourself."

"Well, someone has to keep the shop in order," she grinned.

I sighed. "Well, if you're feeling up to it…" I walked with her over to the counter and paid for my new threads. "Thank you for always helping me so much," I smiled warmly. "If I had more time, I'd stay to help, but as you know, I've got a bit of a heist planned." Atlas was going to throw a fit if I was late.

"I won't keep you any longer then," she smiled back. As I approached the door, she said, "I hope you find what you're looking for tonight."

I turned around. "Me, too," I waved goodbye before heading back out to Penn Square.

The sun was setting as I made it back to my dorm. Atlas was ready to go, but we had to wait a little while longer for the cover of night. When it was dark enough, we snuck out of the dorm and across the campus to the main building. Even with all the candles flickering about, the foyer was eerie and still. What was even more creepy, was the sentry standing near the main door. His head screeched slowly from side to side. It made the main hall feel like a haunted mansion.

Atlas and I hid behind a pillar as soon as we entered, trying to avoid the sentry as much as possible. If we were spotted, that'd be the end of it. "What's the plan?" I whispered.

"I'll kill the lights, so it can't see us. Then we'll just have to sneak around it," he said.

I nodded, thinking about how neither of our footsteps made a sound the whole way across the courtyard. "This'll be a breeze."

"If it catches us, that's the end of it," he warned.

"Then stop talking," I rebutted with a slight smirk.

He pursed his lips for a second then raised his hand. With a silent snap, the sconces flickered out into darkness.

"Who goes there?" the sentry's voice echoed through its armour and out into the room. We said not a word and stuck our heads around either side of the pillar to get an idea of where we were headed. The sentry began to hum as lights began to glow inside the armour and through the helm like a light house. Its head turned toward us and we both ducked back behind the pillar. Atlas tapped my shoulder, gesturing for me to move, before making himself float up to the ceiling and over to the deeper shadows of the foyer. I took a few steps back towards the wall. _I hope these clothes work._ Once I was enveloped in shadow, I began to inch silently towards the staircase in the center of the room, keeping to the walls. "No visual anomalies. Checking perimeter now." The light dissipated, allowing me to run over to my brother a lot faster. I thought we were in the clear, but the sentry took a step off of its platform and began to patrol the room. I couldn't see it in the darkness, but I could hear its general direction. _Where is it?_ Just then, I felt my brother's hands on my shoulders, pushing me to the right. I let him direct me until we got around the corner into the hallway. "Perimeter clear. Returning to post." We both let out a quick sigh and turned towards the hall, but the step Atlas took caused the wooden floorboard to creak. We may have had silent footsteps, but we weren't weightless, and this was an old building. In the soft light from around the corner, I saw his eyes go wide. We both froze, praying we wouldn't get caught. There was silence. No clanking, no echoing voice, just silence. I nodded for us to continue and kept close to the walls where the floor was better supported, a trick I'd learnt sneaking out of the house when I was a teen. Atlas followed my lead as we rounded the corner. "All clear," was the last thing we heard echo down the corridor.

"We did it," I sighed silently, my heart racing.

"Not bad, Sky. Seems like you're getting the hang of this," Atlas complimented.

"I'm starting to wonder if you're any good at this. First the plant, not the floor?" I chortled softly, still trying to keep my volume down. He narrowed his eyes at me. A new humming sound caught both of our attention as Professor Englund entered the corridor, facing away from us. Atlas grabbed my shoulder and pushed me into one of the alcoves beside a classroom door. "Alright, we just have to deal with him somehow."

"I'll disguise you as the dean and you'll get him to let us inside," Atlas said simply, like it was the easiest plan in the world.

"I still can't believe you can do that," I shook my head in disbelief, even though he'd told me about this plan nearly an hour prior.

"Well, believe it. I've been studying advanced magic since I was five," he stared blankly at me, I thought, to gloat about how far above me in his studies he was. "But remember, I can only make the spell last for five minutes. You'll have to convince him before the spell wears off."

"And there's no guarantee that he'll stay away, even if the dean tells him to, so we have to be quick," I agreed.

"Alright," he nodded, ready to move on. He put his hand on my shoulder and faced me. "Think about how the dean speaks, otherwise the spell won't work properly."

I closed my eyes and remembered getting reamed out with Beckett. "_I'm not a woman known for second chances,"_ was the quote that rang through my head. I could feel a cool, almost watery magic flow through me from his hand. I looked down at my arms, now covered by black polyester sleeves with twirled golden embroidery on the cuffs. "How do I look?" I smirked. I was a lot shorter now, which was almost disconcerting.

"Exactly as you're supposed to, but remember to stay in character. One slip up and it will wear off faster than you can blink," he warned. "Can you mimic her voice?"

I thought for a second about how she phrased her words. I stared blankly up at him, trying to invoke a cold soul. "You can expect that any further incidents will result in immediate expulsion. Do I make myself clear?," I said, curling my lip just the slightest bit and rounding my words out into an Americanised Oxford accent.

"That's…," he shook his head briefly, looking just as disconcerted as I had upon hearing those words the first time. "Very good. Now, cut the chit-chat. You've only got five minutes," he said with renewed sternness before pushing me out to the hallway.

I straightened my blouse and turned my nose up, getting into character as I walked towards my professor.

"Ah, Dean Goeffe. I didn't expect to see you tonight. How are you?" he smiled when he saw me approach.

"I'm just fine, thank you," I nodded curtly.

"I'm glad to see you aren't too shaken up by what's happened," he said, clearly concerned.

"I'm actually in a hurry, so I'd appreciate it if we could keep this short," I held up a hand just below my chest to cut the small talk.

He shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, right, of course. You're a very busy woman. I don't imagine you came down here just to chat with me."

"No, actually. I need to examine the Hall of Mirrors," I said, trying to look authoritative.

His brows furrowed. "Really? But I thought you wanted to keep the room quarantined, just to be safe. We don't want to risk another act of vandalism, especially since some poor students got caught in the crossfire. They must have been so frightened," he shook his head sombrely and looked towards the large wooden doors behind him. "Why do you need to go inside? The investigators already finished their report."

"I'm here to double check their results," I said firmly. "I don't trust those amateurs. We need a thorough investigation to ensure such a breach in our security doesn't happen again."

"Understood," he nodded. "I can only hope we'll have this fully resolved soon. Is there anything I can do to help?"

I made a move towards the doors. "Yes, you can leave me alone," I spoke casually, reaching for the handle.

"Are you sure? I promise you, I could be of some assistance," he seemed shocked by my words. I got a bit nervous, wondering if I'd said something wrong, but then I looked at my hand. If I had said something out of character, the spell would have disappeared by now.

"Are you implying I can't handle this myself?" I asked, facing him once more, my arms crossing lowly over my torso.

He stumbled back by a step and held his hands up in surrender. "No, not at all, Dean. I was just trying to make myself useful."

"If I need assistance, I will ask for it," I said coldly. "Until then, I would prefer if you leave me in peace."

"Well, don't let me get in your way, ma'am," he smiled and tucked his hands behind his back like a shy boy. "The room is all yours. Just holler if you need me."

"I doubt that will be necessary," I said, but nodded him off. As he turned away, I thought of one more thing I needed to ask him that could be of use. "Actually," I started, "I do have one request." As he turned back around, I put my hand on his shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes. "I need you to tell me everything you know about what happened here," I spoke clearly, and the magic coursing through my veins began to run.

He smiled, almost as if in a trance. "Of course. As you know, almost all the mirrors inside the hall were damaged, but repairs were relatively simple, and the room is secure now. Thankfully, no-one was hurt. Only a few students were nearby when it happened. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. We currently believe these were the acts of a single individual working alone, however, there's a strong chance that individual is still here at the college."

"Do you have a list of suspects?" I asked, still keeping his eyes. He hadn't blinked the whole time I was interrogating him, which was a bit unsettling.

"Not yet, but based on the level of magic used, the individual is most likely a member of the staff or an upperclassman," he informed me. His face began to look exhausted and his eyes began to turn red. I took my hand swiftly from his shoulder and straightened my blazer.

"Very well. That is all, thank you," I nodded curtly.

He nodded back and turned on his heel down the hall, rubbing his eyes for a moment before humming to himself again.

Atlas ran over to me and patted my back. "Not bad. I'm impressed," he smiled proudly. "But I don't think he's going to stay gone for long," he jerked his head towards the doors. I nodded and we both entered the Hall of Mirrors.

As the door closed, the mirage spell lost effect and faded away, giving me my hands and height back. I looked around the room. It was the same as it had been before I got sucked into the mirror dimension. "It didn't take them long to repair everything," I muttered. "Why is it still blocked off? There doesn't seem to be much evidence left to collect."

"There is," he said bluntly. "You just have to have the right supplies." He pulled a handful of strange objects out of his pocket and crushed them together in his fist. The dust created drafted out of his hand and around the room. "See?" The dust created a fog over the room and lit up certain parts of the room like they were under blacklight. "This is a moon spell that lets you see magic that's been used recently."

The echo of Englund's humming rang down the hallway. We were running out of time. "He's back already?"

"We have to hurry. Start looking around," Atlas ordered.

I glanced around the room, trying to make sense of the rave lights floating around the room in different coloured strands. Two trails caught my eye. They were thicker and brighter than the others, one a soft silver, and the other a deep black. The silver one zig-zagged around the room before hitting the center of a mirror, and the black was a thick, straight line that intersected with the silver going into the mirror. The same mirror that had shattered. The same mirror that had pulled me in. I was curious, so I took a step forward, but I was terrified that I'd be pulled back into the mirror dimension. What I'd faced in there… it gave me nightmares. The mirror gave off an atrocious glow, an ominous light that made me uneasy.

"Sky! Look at this!" Atlas pointed to a trail of lights that chased each other through the air and crashed into the same mirror I'd been looking at. The ominous glow became worse, the edges flickering with darkness where they'd once been cracked.

"Why is it doing that?" I asked, really not wanting the answer. I knew it wasn't going to be good.

"Because someone sabotaged it. Someone took the wards off," he explained. _I knew I didn't want to know…_

"Which means…," I dared to ask.

"The wards are the protective shield that prevents intruders from just showing up on campus," he said. "Every mirror is supposed to have them. Without them, the monsters could just walk right in. Hell, Raife himself could have come to get you."

"Then why hasn't he?" I asked.

He shook his head, uncertain. "The wards can only be taken down on this side of the portal. You'd have to be on the school grounds to manipulate them. That's why I got stuck in the mirror dimension. I couldn't take the wards down from that side, not to mention that only a select number of people know how to manipulate wards, since the magic is so complex."

"So, you're saying that someone at the academy is responsible for this," I reasoned.

His face contorted into anger. "There's someone powerful inside Penderghast who wants you dead."


End file.
